FTC to study price data of companies including Walmart, Target, DoorDash
The Federal Trade Commission has ordered nine major food delivery providers, rideshare platforms and airlines to provide detailed information on how they set prices.
The FTC issued the orders to Walmart, Target, DoorDash, Instacart, Uber, Lyft, Delta, United and JetBlue, under the FTC Act, which bans hidden fees and unfair consumer treatment). Walmart and Target are included in these orders for their food delivery operations.
Each company must turn over information the agency requests to help it assess whether the pricing for a ticket, ride share, food delivery or other product or service varies from one person to the next based on factors such as participation in loyalty programs or analysis of personal data by artificial intelligence algorithms.
In recent weeks, Walmart has repeatedly said it does not engage in dynamic pricing. Earlier this month, Target posted a "Fact Sheet" on its website saying it does not use personal information to raise prices for customers based on who they are, where they live or when they shop.
The FTC is also asking the companies to document the inputs, tools and procedures used to adjust or set compensation, which can vary based on drivers’ personal data, such as their phone usage or acceptance history for past offers.
[READ MORE: DoorDash acquires Instacart for $17 billion]
“We intend to scrutinize the opaque methodology that some companies in these industries may be using to determine how much consumers pay or how much gig workers are paid for the same product or service,” said FTC chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. “Consumers deserve to know whether companies use their web surfing habits or other personal data to estimate the highest price they can charge each consumer. Workers also deserve to know if their compensation is affected by how companies use their personal data.”
In August, the FTC invited public comment on a proposed enforcement policy statement describing how the undisclosed use of personal information to set a price unique to a consumer could violate the FTC Act. In April 2025, the FTC sued Uber for allegedly charging consumers for its Uber One subscription service without their consent, failed to deliver promised savings, and made it difficult for users to cancel the service.
In December 2025, Instacart agreed to pay $60 million in refunds to consumers to settle FTC allegations that it engaged in "numerous unlawful tactics that harmed shoppers and raised the cost of grocery shopping for Americans."
The FTC has also recently alleged unfair pricing by Dollar General and reached a multi-billion-dollar agreement with Amazon over accusations of misleading Prime membership practices. Meanwhile, Walmart recently released an open letter refuting what it calls repeated mischaracterizations of its pricing practices and use of technology by economist Lindsay Owens.
If a company fails to turn over requested information, the FTC can compel compliance in federal court. The recipients will have 45 days from the date they receive the orders to respond. The FTC Act allows the FTC to conduct wide-ranging studies that do not have a specific law enforcement purpose. The FTC vote to approve issuing the special orders was 2-0.
