Posted on 01/21/26
| News Source: WMAR2NEWS
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 21, 2026 - Maryland's top lawmakers announced legislation Monday to ban dynamic pricing at grocery stores, a practice that could allow retailers to charge different prices to customers based on algorithmic calculations and demand.
Governor Wes Moore, along with leaders from both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly, unveiled the bill at BD Provisions, a bulk grocery store in Anne Arundel County.
"This is not a fair market, this is a stacked deck. This is about profit, profit squeezing," said Moore. "Profit that's extracted from people who are seeing their bills increase and who are struggling to afford basic goods..
Dynamic pricing uses algorithms to adjust costs based on factors like demand, potentially allowing stores to charge different amounts to different customers for the same products.
The legislation requires retailers to maintain consistent pricing for at least one full business day and prohibits them from collecting personal information about shoppers to inform pricing decisions.
"When the seller is changing the price based on who it is, based on unclear information, based on personal data that's been siphoned off from every possible avenue you can imagine, and the price changes by the time you walk in the door to when you put that loaf of bread on the counter, that is what is called a failed marketplace," Senate President Bill Ferguson said.
The bill has strong support from legislative leadership and the governor, making passage highly likely. The measure is part of a broader affordability initiative for the 2026 legislative session.
Deborah Saltz, owner of BD Provisions where the announcement was made, supports the effort to make groceries more affordable for families.
"So our goal is to make things not only eco-friendly but more affordable to families. We do have our regular customers who come in with their kids and teach them about how to shop this way," Saltz said.
However, the Maryland Retailers Alliance opposes the legislation, arguing that much of the concern stems from misunderstanding how dynamic pricing works. The organization says retailers use the technology to manage inventory, respond to wholesale cost changes, and remain competitive by adjusting prices uniformly across all shoppers based on supplier costs, seasonality, promotions, and market competition—not personal consumer data.
The bill must pass both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly to become law.