American consumers are confronting persistent cost-of-living pressures as questions grow over how companies set prices, use pricing technology and respond to changing market conditions.
Economic sociologist Lindsay Owens argues in her new book Gouged: The End of a Fair Price – and What That Means for Your Wallet that American businesses have increasingly adopted sophisticated pricing systems, including shared software and artificial intelligence, that can influence what consumers pay. Her proposals include tighter rules on pricing coordination and requirements for AI shopping assistants to prioritise consumers’ interests.
The debate comes against a backdrop of historically high corporate profits. US corporate profits from current production reached an annualised $4.83 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, up from $4.43 trillion in the first quarter, according to government data.
Owens contends that consumers are increasingly being exposed to a “reinvention” of pricing practices, while companies have more sophisticated access to data about purchasing behaviour.
The issue raises broader questions about competition, transparency, consumer protection and the growing role of AI in retail pricing.
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