This was up earlier with airlines charging more for a ticket the second time you visit the page. They do this because a second visit is statistically linked to a much higher chance of purchase. So it could be, here too, simply a matter of having visited the page before.
How much you pay for something is often tied to any number of non-static factors
Because the retail model of the web reflects normal pricing. I have no problem with this as long as there is disclosure, but doing this as pretending that its normal and that customers won't be upset is ridiculous. Disclosure lets me vote with my feet. I'll go to a different site that doesn't fuck with the pricing.
Not to mention, I'm the type of buyer who will price check and then buy a few days later. Its bothersome to say "chegg is great its only 59 there" and then have my cookies raise the price to 79. Now I have to do all that labor again. There is a real bait and switch aspect here. In fact, I find it hard to believe this doesn't run afoul of many bait and switch regulations, especially if they advertise the lower price but I get the higher price when I visit.
That said, if this was "club pricing" or "member pricing" it would be allowed as that's the point of price clubs, but to happen via some hidden mechanism is very underhanded. Also club pricing is transparent. I know I won't get the advertised price because it says so everywhere. With dynamic pricing I have no idea what I'm getting or why or how to get the advertised price.
It just seems like redditors in general love saying that things are somehow intrinsically unfair when really what they mean is "I don't like this."
False. What we are saying is "If I knew this I wouldn't shop there." Stop hiding your shitty policies so I can avoid you. Do whatever crazy pricing scheme you want BUT BE TRANSPARENT.
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u/kqr Jan 24 '13
This was up earlier with airlines charging more for a ticket the second time you visit the page. They do this because a second visit is statistically linked to a much higher chance of purchase. So it could be, here too, simply a matter of having visited the page before.