The practice, officials say, allows prices to change based on demand or even customer data.

Earlier this month, the state legislature passed the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act, introduced as part of Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) legislative agenda. The bill targets a system whereby retailers can use technology to adjust prices throughout the day or show different prices to different customers, especially in online shopping.

Lawmakers said the goal is to prevent that type of pricing from being used in grocery stores across Maryland.

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“Digital price tags are replacing paper ones… cameras are watching aisles… apps are moving from search-based to predictive and having true curated experiences that end up harming the average shopper,” (Governor) Moore said during testimony last month. “If Myles [a member of Moore’s staff] and I were to go in a supermarket at the same time… we could pick up the exact same item and be charged a different price for it, because they know that I’ll pay it. This type of manipulation of data is not fair.”