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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Might be owed money? Here’s how to find it (for free)

I’ll never forget helping Robert from Virginia find $24,578 sitting in a bank account he didn’t know existed. He heard me talk about how to find hidden money on my national radio show.

Every year, I shout about this from the rooftops (and my national radio show). Lost money isn’t a myth. It’s trillions just chilling in government vaults and banker spreadsheets, waiting for someone like you to claim it. 

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🚘 Waymo’s not cheap: A study in San Francisco found it costs about $10 more than Lyft or Uber during peak hours. The twist? Some people actually prefer it. The quiet, driverless ride and having the car to yourself is enough to win them over. Introverts stay winning.

$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. 

💸 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!

🪙 Retail crypto grab: Walmart and Amazon are both reportedly exploring launching brand-backed crypto stablecoins. Insiders say it could let them ditch banks (and bank fees), process payments faster and soak up even more of your money. Finally, you can pay for eggs with Jeff Coins™.

Are your cloud costs climbing? Oracle can help you save big. Get enterprise-level performance at 50% or more off for a limited time. Check to see if your business qualifies today, because smart savings and better tech starts right here!*

Get free stuff: Freecycle is a fantastic online community where folks give away things they no longer need or find items they want.

Cancel what you’re not using: I use Rocket Money, an app that finds all your recurring subscriptions and lets you easily cancel anything you don’t want. The first time I logged in, it saved me $435!

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Stream movies with your library card using Kanopy or Hoopla. Totally free.

Cash in on your old cell phone: This tip will show you how to get the most money out of your old phone by selling it to reputable companies. Subscribe to Clark.com’s free newsletter to receive smart money tips every day.

99.999%

That’s how much of Earth’s gold is locked in the core. It’s basically a global treasure chest we’ll probably never open. There’s enough down there to coat the entire planet in 1.5 feet of gold. It’s staying put unless you’ve got a plan to drill through 1,800 miles of molten iron. Somehow, Bitcoin mining sounds less complicated now. 

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Set up price alerts on Amazon with CamelCamelCamel to avoid paying full price.

$38 billion

That’s how much Saudi Arabia is pouring into gaming. Basically the Thanos of gaming via Savvy Games Group, the kingdom controls 40% of the global esports industry and big chunks of ESL, Scopely, Nintendo, EA and more. When your gaming strategy includes Red Bull partnerships and a sovereign wealth fund, you’re not playing games when it comes to games. 

$1.3 billion

That’s how much Lucy Guo is worth, dethroning Taylor Swift as the youngest self-made female billionaire. She cofounded Scale AI at 21, got fired, kept her stake, which grew to $1.2 billion, and casually launched another startup that raised $40M. Way to go!

40%

That’s how much cooling costs can drop with an ice battery. Yes, actual ice. Buildings like Eleven Madison in NYC are freezing water at night, then using that ice to chill the place by day. It’s like time-shifting your AC to happy hour prices, potentially lowering cooling costs by up to 40%. Peak grid demand? Never heard of her.

562,000

That’s how many new millionaires popped up in the U.S. in 2024. It’s more than any other country. A lot of them are also stashing their money in things like crypto and private equity, which now make up 15% of their portfolios. BRB, pitching to Shark Tank.

💸 Avoid PayPal fees: Transferring money to friends or family? Pick Sending to a friend instead of Goods and Services to skip the fee. It works if you’re using a linked bank account or PayPal balance. FYI: There’s no buyer protection, so only use it with people you trust.

💸 Starlink’s surprise fee: If you’re in Washington or Oregon, you might get hit with a $500 “demand surcharge” just to sign up. That’s more than the dish itself, which costs $349! Why the extra charge? Apparently, it’s to avoid overloading the network in areas like Seattle and Portland with limited capacity. Ouch.

📚 Books to bucks: Got shelves of old novels, DVDs or video games? Free apps like BookBuddy (iOS) and Libib (Android) make it easy to sell them. Scan the barcode, and the app stores it in a catalog. From there, create a listing on eBay, Facebook Marketplace or wherever you flip.