Instagram story viewer> @groundworkcollab> Posts

Groundwork Collaborative

@groundworkcollab

40.4K

followers

228

following

Dedicated to building an economy that works for all of us.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

"Gouged" is OUT!

I started this book angry about all the ways corporations are ripping us off.

I finished it hopeful, because once you know how they're doing it—you can start to fight back.

Thanks to everyone who has been part of this. Now go read it.

Comment BOOK to get a link to purchase in your DMs. by @groundworkcollab

73

16

15 days ago

Last month, Walmart’s CEO released a letter claiming they “price products, not people.”

Then, they named me in a public letter, attacking me for sounding the alarm about its surveillance pricing technology.

A new report from my organization, @groundworkcollab, exposing a decade’s worth of Walmart patent applications, tells a very different story.

They’re building an arsenal of surveillance technology that, taken together, represents one of the most expansive corporate surveillance regimes the world has ever known.

If Walmart doesn’t want to be in the news for its deceptive pricing techniques, I lay out the steps it could take to assure the public that it isn’t using its patented technology to spy on shoppers. by @groundworkcollab

1k

61

19 hours ago

For years, McDonald's executives have been bragging to Wall Street about their AI price-setting technology...until Reuters called them out.

McDonald’s is using an AI-powered pricing engine across every one of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants to recommend the “optimal price” for every menu item — based on how much customers in that area are willing to pay.

We don’t need AI pricing systems sizing us up to supersize our drive-thru bill. It's time to end the rip off. by @groundworkcollab

95

10

a day ago

150

18

5 days ago

Stubhub junk fees are annoying. Even @RonanFarrow deals with them. But they speak to something much bigger.

While most Americans can hardly afford the basics, these already massively profitable corporations are using every tool they can come up with to extract every last dollar they can from us.

It’s not just inconvenient — it’s just plain greedy.

Thanks to Ronan for coming out to Gouged’s book launch and diving into how companies use new technologies to rip all of us off. by @groundworkcollab

628

24

5 days ago

Companies love to make signing up for a subscription easy and canceling it nearly impossible.

And it's more than just an annoying trick—it's a business model generating billions of dollars in profits.

There are ways to stay one step ahead of the gougers. But consumers shouldn't have to dodge and weave around corporate tricks and traps just to keep their hard-earned money.

It's time for a federal rule banning these deceptive practices.

For the full exposé, pick up my new book, "Gouged", wherever books are sold, or comment "BOOK" to get a link sent straight to your DMs. by @groundworkcollab

181

12

6 days ago

For too long, the federal government has let giant corporations, billionaires, and elites write the rules, and now we’re living with the results: costs have soared, wages have stalled, and jobs have left.

We need a new plan to save the middle class and restore the American Dream.

Read the full plan. Link in bio. taken in USA by @groundworkcollab

86

1

6 days ago

You can learn a lot about a company based on the patents it files. Highly recommend the book “Gouged” by Lindsay Owens. Every consumer in America should read it. Link in bio for my recent exclusive with Lindsay about her findings on pricing experiments and surveillance pricing.

@groundworkcollab @lindsayowensphd by @groundworkcollab

335

19

6 days ago

Walmart's customers deserve to know if, how, and when their personal data is being used – especially when it comes to pricing. It's time for Walmart to set the record straight.

@lindsayowensphd on @cnn breaks down exactly what Walmart should do to regain their customers' trust. by @groundworkcollab

553

48

7 days ago

143

6

7 days ago

“Back-to-school” headlines may be over, but for parents the costs don’t end. When we looked at what parents were saying online about back-to-school costs, school lunch was the biggest topic. Parents described stretching grocery budgets, making tough trade-offs, and even skipping meals so their kids could eat.

And the price of that food is more expensive than ever – up nearly 8% compared to last year, according to @groundworkcollab, which can mean spending $100+ more, every single week.

Read more about what parents are saying about the cost of raising a family in the latest Water Cooler on Substack at the link in bio.

#CostOfLiving #SchoolLunch #Affordability #DignityOfWork by @groundworkcollab

20

0

7 days ago

When my organization @groundworkcollab, alongside @perfectunion and @consumerreports, investigated Instacart, we discovered they were running pricing experiments on shoppers without them even knowing.

Just two weeks after our investigation dropped, Instacart ended their experiments. But that's just one company.

My book "Gouged" digs in to how companies are using new technologies to squeeze every last dollar out of your wallet. Available now wherever books are sold.

Comment "BOOK" to get a link sent straight to your DMs. by @groundworkcollab

574

23

7 days ago