#retail-pricing

#retail-pricing

Effective immediately, Instacart is ending all item price tests on our platform. Retailers will no longer be able to use Eversight technology to run item price tests on Instacart," an Instacart spokesperson shared with Engadget. The blog post called out "misconceptions and misinformation," maintaining that these price experiments were never the result of dynamic pricing and were never based on any personal or behavioral information about shoppers.

The holiday season sparks a significant increase in consumer spending. This year, Black Friday alone saw consumers shell out a record US$11.8 billion. It's the time of year when many Americans make purchases to decorate for the holidays - lights, ornaments and Christmas trees.

With Thanksgiving five weeks away, retailers are once again stepping in to take some of the guesswork out of hosting. Walmart, Aldi, and Sam's Club have each shared this year's menus of ready-to-order Thanksgiving meal kits. Costco also appears to be in on the trend; one shopper on social media spotted a meal kit available in the fresh food section.

Castlevania: Complete Series Limited Edition is finally back in stock at Amazon for $150 (was $155). When preorders first opened July 31, Amazon sold out in less than 24 hours. The pricey box set remained out of stock at Amazon throughout August. Castlevania fans who missed out on preordering the first time have another chance to reserve the collectible box set ahead of its September 30 release.

According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-NIQ Shop Price Monitor, food prices have soared to their highest pace in 18-months as the price of eggs, butter and chocolate surges, this is the highest seen since February 2024. The rapid acceleration in price hikes will "add pressure" to households who are already struggling to make ends meet. In the month food inflation jumped to 4.1% as dairy prices are rising which is up from 3.2% in July.

Currently, the Nintendo Switch 2 is in limited supply, often priced higher than the usual $449, with options starting at $649 at Walmart.