Food prices change while you shop, here’s what to do

If you think food prices are high now, just wait. Grocery stores across the country are installing electronic shelf labels (ESLs), ditching those humble paper price tags for sleek little digital screens. 

Sounds like a snazzy tech upgrade, right? Just wait until your eggs get a price hike while you’re still pushing your cart toward the meat section.  

🧂 Price jump in Aisle 5

Walmart, Whole Foods and regional chains like Schnucks in the Midwest are already using this technology. Retailers say it saves time, and sure, I get it. A typical Walmart has over 120,000 items, and changing all those prices by hand takes days.

With ESLs, they can update thousands of prices in seconds. That’s a win for store efficiency, but for us shoppers? It opens the door to something we’ve all experienced.

🤑 Surge pricing 

You know how Uber hikes your ride fare during rush hour or a rainstorm? Now imagine that happening at the supermarket.

 ☀️ Hot day? Bottled water jumped in price.
🍗 Big game tonight? Chicken wings got a surprise markup.

Surge pricing, but for food. Sure, they say it’ll help reduce food waste by discounting items near expiration, and that’s great. But once stores can adjust prices based on demand, they will. Count on it.

Kroger’s working with Microsoft to add cameras to these digital displays. They’ll use facial recognition to track your behavior and create personalized offers. 

🥷 Beat the tech

Here’s how to fight back:

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You don’t have to wait that long to swim after eating. That old drowning myth came from the idea that digestion pulls blood toward your stomach, leaving less for your muscles. Cue the imagined cramps. Experts say the shift is minimal and not dangerous. So yeah, jump in after lunch, just skip the cannonball.

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Check your privacy settings: Social media apps update often, and sometimes your preferences change without you noticing. Review who can see your posts, who can tag you and what info is public. Most apps have this under Profile (or the three line Menu) > Settings > Privacy.

🧮 Windows math shortcut: No need to open the Calculator app. Just press the Windows key, type your equation into the search bar (like 10 15 – 5), and you’ll see the answer instantly (145). FYI: You can include spaces between numbers or leave them out. Either way works.

Resize Quick Notes on iPad: Need more space to read or jot something down? When a Quick Note is open, pinch outward with two fingers (just like zooming in on a photo) to make it bigger. To shrink it again, pinch inward. You can also drag it to any corner and keep working in your app.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Press Command + Shift + 5 on Mac to open the screenshot and screen recorder menu. For Windows, hold the Windows Key + Shift + S for the Snipping Tool. Lovely.

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📺 Your TV, your rules: Some Roku wallpapers double as ads for shows, movies or brands. Don’t want your screen turning into a billboard? Go to Settings > Theme > Sponsored Wallpapers, and switch it to Off. Btw, you could save big on a new Roku Ultra (20% off).

Before your Google Meet: Blur out that pile of laundry before hopping on. When the video preview loads, click the three dots at the bottom. Then, go to Apply visual effects > Blur and personal backgrounds > and choose Blur your background. Once you’re set, hit Join now.

1.7

That’s how many knee or ankle injuries parkour athletes suffer every 1,000 hours. Not bad … until you remember that’s for people literally jumping off rooftops. You don’t need to leap between rooftops to wreck your joints. Alert: Your knees are fragile, protect your meat hinges. 

📖 Your summer reading list: Bookworms, you’ve got to check out Amazon’s Best Books of 2025 So Far. It’s packed with page-turners across every genre, so there’s something for everyone. After all, reading is a novel idea.

Play any file: Next time you hit a “can’t open file” error, try VLC media player. It’s free, open-source and plays just about every media format from DVDs to weird file types. Best part? It works across all your tech: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, you name it. No ads, just press play.

📨 Giving out your Gmail? Use an alias to track where emails are from. Just add +anything before @gmail.com (like kim+signup@gmail.com). When a message hits your inbox, you’ll see the +signup in the To field.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Never scan a QR code in a public place without checking the sticker. Scammers slap fake QR code stickers on menus, parking meters or fliers. If it looks like a label, don’t trust it.

$795

The new price of feeling fancy with a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Sure, they’re throwing in some bonus points and credits, as long as you swear loyalty to the Chase portal like it’s your digital deity. Points nerds sighed a collective “meh” on this one. 

This is my daily must have. By age 60, collagen drops by half. Hello, joint pain and wrinkles. NativePath Collagen is my secret weapon. Just two scoops a day, and boy, what a difference! Get 45% off, free shipping and a bonus gift!

💸 Declutter and save: Don’t toss your old gadgets. Trading them in can get you Amazon credit or discounts on your next purchase. Head to Amazon’s Trade-In page to see what your gear is worth. Easy money!

Lost and found: Accidentally deleted a photo or video on your Mac? Don’t panic. Open your Photos app and click Recently Deleted in the sidebar. Find your lost file and hit Recover. You have 30 days to get it back. Btw, if you never looked there, do it now.