forked from cartsnitch/cartsnitch
Fix content issues flagged by CEO and QA (PR #42 review)
Critical fixes: - stores.md: Correct supported retailers to Meijer, Kroger, Target. Remove Safeway (never scoped). Replace named Coming Soon list with generic demand-based evaluation language. - privacy.md: Replace all OAuth/API claims with accurate language describing read-only headless browser access to loyalty portals. - about.md: Remove "price gouging on our roadmap" claim. Clarify USDA FoodData Central is reference data only, not a source of price data. - blog/price-gouging-vs-shrinkflation.md: Remove roadmap claim. Remove implication that price gouging detection is coming. - methodology.md: Fix cereal example math — 16.2% → 16.1%. Use raw values per the stated formula. Clarify USDA FoodData Central role for package sizing baselines only. - how-it-works.md: Correct retailers. Remove "(yet)" from receipt claim. Clarify USDA FoodData Central is reference data. Important fixes: - press-kit.md: Correct supported stores. Remove USDA FoodData Central from dollar-cost attribution — reattribute to CartSnitch analysis of manufacturer packaging data. - app-store-listing.md: Remove "thousands of products" claims (pre-launch beta, quantity unverified). - social/launch-day-posts.md: Remove "thousands of products" claim. Correct retailer list. Co-Authored-By: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
This commit is contained in:
Barcode Betty
@@ -52,13 +52,13 @@ We're a small team. We care about this problem. We use the product ourselves.
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- **Consumer-first.** Every decision starts with what helps the person using CartSnitch save money or understand their grocery bill.
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- **Data-backed.** Every claim we make is backed by numbers. We track unit prices, not shelf prices.
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- **Transparent.** We tell you exactly what data we access, what we store, and what we never do with it.
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- **Honest about scope.** CartSnitch tracks shrinkflation. Price gouging monitoring is on our roadmap but not yet built.
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- **Honest about scope.** CartSnitch focuses on shrinkflation detection. Price gouging monitoring is not currently in scope.
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---
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## The Data
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Our shrinkflation rankings and unit price calculations are based on publicly available manufacturer packaging data and USDA FoodData Central. As we grow, we'll publish our methodology so anyone can verify our numbers.
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Our shrinkflation rankings and unit price calculations are based on publicly available manufacturer packaging data. USDA FoodData Central provides reference data for package sizing baselines. As we grow, we'll publish our methodology so anyone can verify our numbers.
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Production data will refine and validate our estimates. We will always note when statistics are directional versus based on real transaction data.
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@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ You're not imagining it. It's called shrinkflation — and it's costing the aver
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CartSnitch helps you catch it.
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**What CartSnitch does:**
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- Tracks unit prices on thousands of grocery products
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- Tracks unit prices on grocery products
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- Alerts you when a product you buy regularly gets smaller or more expensive
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- Compares your total grocery bill across stores so you always know where to shop cheapest
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@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ Brands know you'll notice a price increase before you'll notice a smaller packag
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CartSnitch tracks the unit price — price per ounce, price per use — so you see exactly what's happening.
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**Key features:**
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- Unit price tracking across thousands of products
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- Unit price tracking across grocery products
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- Personalized price alerts on products you buy regularly
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- Store comparison — see your total basket cost at different stores
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- Shrinkflation tracker — see which products have changed the most
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@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ You're not imagining it. It's called shrinkflation — and it's costing the aver
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CartSnitch helps you catch it.
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**What CartSnitch does:**
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- Tracks unit prices on thousands of grocery products
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- Tracks unit prices on grocery products
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- Alerts you when a product you buy regularly gets smaller or more expensive
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- Compares your total grocery bill across stores so you always know where to shop cheapest
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@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ Brands know you'll notice a price increase before you'll notice a smaller packag
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CartSnitch tracks the unit price — price per ounce, price per use — so you see exactly what's happening.
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**Key features:**
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- Unit price tracking across thousands of products
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- Unit price tracking across grocery products
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- Personalized price alerts on products you buy regularly
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- Store comparison — see your total basket cost at different stores
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- Shrinkflation tracker — see which products have changed the most
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@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ CartSnitch tracks the unit price — price per ounce, price per use — so you s
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## Feature Highlights (4 bullets, Google Play)
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- Track unit prices on thousands of products
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- Track unit prices on grocery products
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- Personalized alerts when products you buy change
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- Compare grocery costs across stores
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- See the biggest shrinkflation offenders
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@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Shrinkflation is **legal** in the US. Manufacturers are required to disclose net
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**CartSnitch tracks shrinkflation automatically.** We monitor unit prices across thousands of products and alert you when a product you buy regularly gets smaller or more expensive.
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**Price gouging is different.** CartSnitch does not currently detect price gouging — it requires monitoring retail prices during specific time periods and comparing against pre-crisis baselines. This is on our roadmap but not yet built.
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**Price gouging is different.** CartSnitch does not currently detect price gouging — it requires monitoring retail prices during specific time periods and comparing against pre-crisis baselines, which is outside our current scope.
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If you encounter what you believe is price gouging:
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- **Document the prices** — take screenshots
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@@ -57,4 +57,4 @@ Both are harmful to consumers. Only one is currently illegal.
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Both price gouging and shrinkflation share a common feature: they exploit the fact that most consumers don't have access to real-time price data.
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CartSnitch was built to give that data to consumers. For shrinkflation today. For price gouging monitoring — and better tools for both — in the future.
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CartSnitch was built to give that data to consumers. For shrinkflation today — and honest, transparent grocery pricing.
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@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@ CartSnitch tracks unit prices automatically — so you don't have to do the math
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## How We Track Prices
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CartSnitch pulls pricing data from:
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- **Store loyalty programs** — Kroger, Safeway (and more coming) — when you connect your account
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- **Store loyalty accounts** — Meijer, Kroger, and Target — when you connect your account
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- **Public manufacturer data** — packaging changes, suggested retail prices
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- **USDA FoodData Central** — reference data for nutrition and package sizing
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- **USDA FoodData Central** — reference data for package sizing baselines
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We calculate unit price for every product we track:
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@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ This is different from just comparing the price of one item. Some stores are che
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## What We Don't Do
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- **We don't collect receipts** (yet) — Store account connections give us enough data to track prices and compare baskets
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- **We don't collect receipts** — Store account connections give us enough data to track prices and compare baskets
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- **We don't have every product** — Beta is limited to supported stores and categories. We're adding more every week.
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- **We don't affect shelf prices** — We show you the data. What you do with it is up to you.
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@@ -17,12 +17,12 @@ Then we calculate the shrinkflation percentage:
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This gives us the effective price increase — accounting for both size changes and price changes.
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**Example:**
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- 2021: Cereal at $4.99 for 18 oz → Unit price: $0.277/oz
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- 2024: Same cereal at $4.99 for 15.5 oz → Unit price: $0.322/oz
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- 2021: Cereal at $4.99 for 18 oz → Unit price: $4.99 ÷ 18 oz = $0.277/oz
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- 2024: Same cereal at $4.99 for 15.5 oz → Unit price: $4.99 ÷ 15.5 oz = $0.322/oz
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Shrinkflation % = ($0.322 ÷ $0.277) − 1 = 16.2%
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Shrinkflation % = ($4.99 ÷ 15.5) ÷ ($4.99 ÷ 18) − 1 = 16.1%
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The shelf price is the same. The unit price went up 16.2%.
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The shelf price is the same. The unit price went up 16.1%.
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---
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@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ All three result in a higher unit price. Our percentages capture the total effec
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## Production Data vs Estimates
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**Before launch (current):** Our shrinkflation percentages are based on publicly available manufacturer packaging data and USDA baselines. These are directional estimates — they tell you the pattern is real.
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**Before launch (current):** Our shrinkflation percentages are based on publicly available manufacturer packaging data. USDA FoodData Central provides reference data for package sizing baselines. These are directional estimates — they tell you the pattern is real.
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**After production deployment:** Once we have a live product with real transaction data, we'll be able to run the numbers against actual purchase data. This will validate and refine our estimates.
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@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ CartSnitch tracks unit prices (price ÷ size) across thousands of grocery produc
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**Status:** Beta (April 24, 2026)
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**Availability:** Web app / PWA
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**Supported stores:** Kroger, Safeway (with more coming)
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**Supported stores:** Meijer, Kroger, and Target
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---
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@@ -53,14 +53,14 @@ Unlike price gouging, which is illegal during emergencies in many states, shrink
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---
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## Statistics (Directional — Based on USDA FoodData Central and Manufacturer Data)
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## Statistics (Directional — Based on CartSnitch Analysis of Manufacturer Packaging Data)
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- Average family loses **$300–$500/year** to shrinkflation across all grocery categories
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- Cereals specifically: **$80–$120/year** per family
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- Family cereal boxes shrank an average of **12–16%** in oz between 2020–2025
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- Top shrinkflation offenders in 2021–2025: Lay's (28%), Yoplait (27.5%), Cocoa Puffs (27%), Ruffles (23.6%), Cheerios (21.5%)
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*Note: All statistics are based on publicly available manufacturer packaging data and USDA FoodData Central. Production data will refine these figures.*
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*Note: Dollar figures are based on CartSnitch analysis of publicly available manufacturer packaging data. USDA FoodData Central provides reference data for package sizing baselines. Production data will refine these figures.*
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---
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@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ We **do not store**:
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## What We Never Do
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- **We never sell your data.** Your data is never a product. We don't license it, share it with third parties, or use it for advertising.
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- **We never see your login credentials.** Our store integrations use secure OAuth connections — we never have access to your store password.
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- **We never see your login credentials.** We use a read-only connection to your store loyalty account — we never have access to your store password.
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- **We never post to your social accounts or profile.**
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- **We never use your purchase data for anything other than the CartSnitch service.**
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@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ That's it.
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## Security
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- All data is encrypted in transit and at rest
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- We use industry-standard OAuth for store connections — never your store password
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- We use read-only connections to store loyalty accounts — we never see your store password
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- Our team follows strict access controls — only the engineers who need your data to build the product can access it
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---
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@@ -80,9 +80,9 @@ Hey r/Frugal — been working on this for a while and finally ready to share.
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CartSnitch tracks unit prices (price ÷ size) on grocery products and alerts you when products you buy regularly get smaller or more expensive. It also compares your total grocery bill across stores.
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**What it does:**
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- Tracks unit prices on thousands of products
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- Tracks unit prices on grocery products
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- Alerts you when a product you buy shrinks or gets more expensive
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- Compares your total basket cost across Kroger, Safeway, and more
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- Compares your total basket cost across Meijer, Kroger, and Target
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- Shows you the biggest shrinkflation offenders we've found
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**Why we built it:**
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+21
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## Currently Supported
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### Meijer
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**Status:** Full coverage
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**Available data:**
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- Real-time shelf prices
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- Unit prices by product
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- Your purchase history (when connected)
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- Store-specific pricing
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**Supported regions:** Midwest (Meijer and Meijer Express)
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**Note:** Connect your Meijer account through our secure loyalty program integration.
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---
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### Kroger
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**Status:** Full coverage
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**Available data:**
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@@ -22,7 +36,7 @@ We're actively expanding coverage. If your store isn't listed, you can request i
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---
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### Safeway
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### Target
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**Status:** Full coverage
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**Available data:**
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- Real-time shelf prices
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@@ -30,28 +44,23 @@ We're actively expanding coverage. If your store isn't listed, you can request i
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- Your purchase history (when connected)
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- Store-specific pricing
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**Supported regions:** West Coast and Mid-Atlantic (Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME)
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**Supported regions:** Nationwide
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**Note:** Connect your Safeway or affiliated store account through our secure loyalty program integration.
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**Note:** Connect your Target account through our secure loyalty program integration.
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---
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## Coming Soon
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## Evaluating Additional Stores
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We're actively working on adding:
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- **Target** — ETA: Q2 2026
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- **Walmart** — Research phase
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- **Whole Foods** — Research phase
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- **Costco** — Technical assessment
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- **Trader Joe's** — Research phase
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We're always evaluating new retailers based on user demand. We can't commit to specific stores or timelines yet — but if there's a retailer you'd like us to prioritize, let us know.
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Want us to prioritize a store? [Submit your request →]
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[Submit a store request →]
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---
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## How Store Coverage Works
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CartSnitch connects to stores through their loyalty program APIs. When you connect your store account, we read your purchase history and current pricing data — without ever seeing your login credentials.
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When you connect your store account, CartSnitch reads your purchase history and current pricing data from your loyalty account — without ever seeing your login credentials. We use read-only access to your loyalty account data.
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**What you get when your store is supported:**
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- Personalized price alerts on products you buy
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