this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
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In Germany the price is actually set at the cashier, not the tag. I found that out the hard way once, where the price tag was wrong and I had to pay more.
So dynamic pricing wouldn't even require deploying these smart tags, the cashier or the 'smart' self-checkout could just do it on their own. They could just use their cameras, analyze your face to figure out if you are in a hurry or not, or in any other way willing to accept a higher price and then offer you the ware to something you are probably going to accept.
The future is realtime individualized price gouging.
It's illegal in Germany, but not in the way you think.
It's illegal to write to wrong price on the sign on purpose, but if it happens by accident the shop is not obligated to sell at the price on the sign.
That's it. You is blowing this way out of proportion.
In Australia if the price at the checkout is higher than the price tag you are entitled to the first item free and subsequent items at the tag price.
So this dynamic pricing bullshit is even more bullshit.
Got a source on that? That's not what the ACCC says.
My experience is they give it to you for ticket price and then immediately go and take away the incorrect ticket before someone else does the same. (Otherwise this would be false advertising and ACCC will fine them)
Yes, they have two options. Either honour the sticker price, or stop selling it at all until the price is fixed.
How is that not illegal in Germany? This has to fall under some anti-discrimination law
It's illegal, but not in the way you think.
It's illegal to write to wrong price on the sign on purpose, but if it happens by accident the shop is not obligated to sell at the price on the sign.
That's it. OP is blowing this way out of proportion.
Haggling is legal in Germany. The cashier is making the offer.
Wherever it is discrimination or not would probably depend on the metrics used to decide the price.
If someone is really desperate for an article, then I could imagine that the cashier can raise the price.
But I am not a lawer. This is just my assumptions on how it could be implemented.
Haggling makes sense for transactions revolving around used cars, bulk goods and the like. A grocery store is a completely different setting. Everyone expects that they're getting the same deal for a given location. Kind of feels too close to what is legally considered fraud to be feasible.
I'm not sure there is a difference between those things in the German law.
As I said, in Germany the price tag is a mere price suggestion, the final offer and transaction happens on checkout.
In my case it was an electronic article, where the price tag showed a much lower price and the cashier then demanded much more. But it turned out that they can do that.