Seattle weighs a proposal that could make it the first U.S. city to bar large grocers and delivery services from using personal data to set grocery prices. Safeway says the ban could end its loyalty discounts, which it says save shoppers $30 weekly on average.
The proposal covers data such as shopping behavior, location, demographics and biometric information. Chains with fewer than 20 locations, convenience stores and farmers markets would be exempt, while electronic shelf labels would be allowed.
Safeway says it uses customer information for voluntary savings, not to charge higher prices. A 2025 Consumer Reports investigation found price differences of up to 23% for the same groceries; in one Seattle example, the same Safeway basket on Instacart varied by about $10, and only 8% of shoppers got the lowest price. Retail groups warned the rules might be read broadly enough to affect store security cameras, but Rinck said that was not intended and she would work to ensure cameras are not banned.
