Act Now: Dynamic Pricing Legislation
State lawmakers are seriously considering HB 895/SB 387, legislation that would regulate pricing practices at large grocery retailers. Policymakers are asking the right question — why are groceries so expensive? — but this proposal looks for the answer in the wrong place.
Affordability is one of the most pressing concerns facing Maryland families right now — and businesses across the state are feeling those same pressures.
Grocery retail is one of the most competitive, lowest-margin sectors of the economy — not a sector where exploiting customers is a viable business model. Maryland grocers succeed by keeping prices competitive for the families who shop there. Prices are shaped by supply and demand at every stage of the economy, and the real drivers of rising costs run much deeper, through energy, transportation, labor, supply chains, taxes and regulatory burden.
This approach would put Maryland in uncharted territory. No other state in the country has enacted this type of legislation targeting grocery pricing in this way. That should give lawmakers pause.
Speak Up Now
Your voice matters right now. Lawmakers are actively shaping this legislation and need to hear directly from Maryland employers before it moves forward. You know better than anyone what’s actually driving costs in your business — and that’s exactly the perspective legislators need to hear.
