More people who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will soon be able to have groceries delivered to their houses. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) opened applications earlier this month for grants to an organization that will provide technology and systems support for new retailers to offer SNAP online shopping, according to Good Morning America (GMA).

Stacy Dean, the agency’s deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, called online grocery shopping “a vital resource that improves access and convenience for all, including low-income families.” She added that this grant has the potential to “improve customer service for SNAP participants, especially those that face barriers in traveling to a physical store.”

Most recently, Instacart announced a new partnership with Albertsons to add more online grocery shopping benefits, including delivery and pickup, to give more families access to affordable food, GMA said.

Delivery and pickup fees will

Price fluctuations as a result of algorithms have been found to increase feelings of customer betrayal.

Steven Puetzer/Getty Images

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Steven Puetzer/Getty Images

Price fluctuations as a result of algorithms have been found to increase feelings of customer betrayal.

Steven Puetzer/Getty Images

If you’ve shopped online recently, you may have had this experience: You find an item, add it to your cart, and then when you get around to paying, the price has increased.

You can thank pricing algorithms.

These are computer programs that look at factors such as supply, demand and the prices competitors are charging, and then adjust the price in real time. Now, there are calls for greater regulation at a time when these tactics are expected to become more common.

“A key thing about the algorithm is that given different inputs, like, say, time of day or weather or how many customers might

As retailers roll out their summer shopping specials, they’re also working behind the scenes, planning for the critical Christmas shopping crush.

Last year’s holiday shopping season was a boon for retailers. Mastercard’s Spending Pulse Survey reported an 8.5% sales increase, extending a crucial lifeline to retailers reeling from pandemic, supply chain and inflation-related disruption.

Unsurprisingly, more of these sales were conducted online as e-commerce sales rose 11% year-over-year. In total, online sales accounted for one-fifth of all transactions, a 6% increase since 2019. Buoyed by necessity and convenience, 72% of shoppers are more reliant on online shopping than they were before the pandemic.

Retailers are taking notice, and today’s shoppers have more options and access to information than ever before.