Support SB 839 to Keep Grocery Prices Fair

As your constituent, I urge you to support and help advance Senate Bill 839, the Price Transparency Act. When families are already stretching each paycheck to cover groceries, they deserve to know that the price on the shelf is fair and not secretly adjusted according to what a retailer’s algorithm thinks each shopper can afford. The pressure on household budgets is real in North Carolina. The state Department of Commerce reported that consumer prices rose 3.4 percent over the year through August 2026, while wage growth had cooled. Its analysis notes that higher everyday costs squeeze household budgets. Nationally, grocery prices were 1.8 percent higher in September than a year earlier, and USDA forecasts food-at-home prices will rise 2.3 percent on average in 2026. Even when inflation slows, prices do not necessarily return to what families paid before. Many shoppers are still paying more for everyday essentials and making difficult tradeoffs. SB 839 offers a practical consumer-protection response. It would restrict food retailers from using dynamic pricing to vary grocery prices based on demand or personal data, while addressing competition in the food industry and improving price transparency. I support clear, evenhanded rules that let businesses compete and innovate without allowing opaque systems to exploit a shopper’s individual circumstances. Broadly available sales, coupons, and loyalty discounts should remain possible when their terms are clear and available to customers on equal terms. This is also a matter of trust in the marketplace. People should be able to compare prices and make informed choices without wondering whether their location, shopping history, or online behavior has quietly raised the price they see. Transparent rules can help protect families while giving honest retailers a level playing field. Please support SB 839, work to move it forward, and ensure its protections cover both grocery stores and delivery services. North Carolinians deserve a fair chance to shop for food and household necessities at clear, consistent prices.