Kristen Schwab
Marketplace reporter who covers consumer and retail topics; in this episode she reports on 'surveillance pricing' and explains how companies use consumer data to set prices.
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17 snips
Jan 14, 2026 • 26min
Finding work as a young person? In this economy?
Kristen Schwab, a consumer and retail reporter, dives into 'surveillance pricing,' revealing how companies use data to manipulate prices. Stephanie Hughes sheds light on the grim job market for young people, with an unemployment rate of 8.2% for those aged 20-24. Mitchell Hartman discusses China's burgeoning trade surplus and its impact on U.S. businesses, while Elizabeth Troval explores how increased Venezuelan oil production could disrupt U.S.-Canada crude flows. Together, they unpack the intricate dance of economics in everyday life.
10 snips
Jan 20, 2026 • 4min
How "surveillance pricing" charges one online customer more than another for the same item
Kristen Schwab, a Marketplace reporter, sheds light on the concept of surveillance pricing—where retailers leverage personalized data to set unique prices for each customer. She contrasts this with dynamic pricing, which is based solely on demand. The conversation dives into the history of personalized sales, raising ethical concerns about legality. Schwab also shares surprising findings from experiments at Walmart, revealing how logged-in users often face higher prices. The discussion unveils a hidden world of targeted discounts and consumer data manipulation.
