It would be the easiest thing to give customers a csv table of the purchased items *directly* in the QR code on the receipt (instead of just a link to some website, where you can download the table as pdf of what). Then people could load it into their app or software and analyze their own data and shopping behavior.

Of course the retailers will never do this.

As Mario writes, the essential thing with this whole topic is:

> If I were trying to describe it in more flowerly terms: It's asymmetric information war fare. [1]

The way for companies to increase their margins is: remove price transparency so people effectively cannot compare anymore.

It's the same concept everywhere: the higher the complexity of the system, the harder it will be for the individual to optimize for their own benefit. Big entities on the other hand, such as big companies CAN deal with complexity and still optimize for their benefit.

Take away message: people should always be cautious of additional complexity creeping into systems. It usually benefits the big actors, at the expense to the individual.

[1] https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@badlogic/111071588108514123