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A retail chain operating in several mid-income countries introduced a dynamic pricing algorithm in 2021 intended to adjust prices for perishable goods in real time based on projected spoilage and remaining shelf life, with the stated goal of reducing food waste while maintaining profit margins. Internal review after eighteen months found that the algorithm succeeded in its primary aim, cutting unsold perishable inventory by nearly a third across participating stores, but produced an unanticipated consumer response that complicated the rollout. Shoppers in lower-income neighborhoods, where the chain had expected the discounts on near-expiry items to be especially welcomed, instead reported in surveys that fluctuating prices made budgeting for a fixed grocery list more difficult, since the same item might cost noticeably different amounts from one visit to the next. Some customers described delaying purchases in hope of catching a future discount, occasionally leading them to run out of staple items at home. In contrast, customers in higher-income neighborhoods, who generally shopped less frequently and purchased in larger quantities, reported little inconvenience and often viewed the discounts as a straightforward bonus. In response to this divergence, the chain introduced a compromise policy limiting price changes to twice daily rather than continuously, and began publishing next-day price ranges in-store for select staple categories, so that budget-conscious shoppers could plan ahead despite the variability. Company data since the change suggests waste reduction has held steady while complaints from lower-income shoppers have declined substantially, though the chain has not yet extended the advance-notice system to all product categories.