Instacart ends controversial pricing strategy, bashes "misinformation"

Driving the news: Instacart said it's ending the Eversight initiative after "fair questions" were raised, though it also bashed "misconceptions and misinformation" in coverage of the issue and said the program didn't qualify as dynamic pricing.

• "But here's one fact we want to be clear about: Our customers have high expectations for Instacart. And for some, we fell short of those expectations," the company said in a blog post.

Zoom in: Instacart acknowledged that it ran "tests" with "a small number of retail partners that resulted in different prices for the same item at the same store," saying it "missed the mark for some customers."

• "At a time when families are working exceptionally hard to stretch every grocery dollar, those tests raised concerns, leaving some people questioning the prices they see on Instacart," the company said. "That's not OK —especially for a company built on trust, transparency and affordability."
• Different customers will now see the same prices at the same time for the same items, with retailers continuing to set their own prices.

Yes, but: Item prices may differ from location to location for the same chains.

Context: Controversy over the initiative erupted after the publication of a report by Groundwork Collaborative, Consumer Reports and More Perfect Union involving 437 shoppers in four cities.