Real-Time Grocery Store Price Randomizer

Technology has brought us many wonderful things. You can find a partner, complain about your least favorite politician, and even order a package of “bunny pasta” all from the comfort of your couch or smartphone. A huge player in this convenience game is Amazon, and with their recent purchase of Whole Foods, some might wonder if prices there will vary algorithmically, perhaps even in real-time.

While this might seem far-fetched to some, others might wonder how this would actually work. Hacker/prankster “msbirfday” decided to try out one possible form factor, integrating an Arduino Uno along with a 16x2 display panel in order to display random prices in the store. It’s a fairly simple concept, executed brilliantly.

Msbirfday used custom characters to form the trademark Amazon smile on the LCD screen, and enclosed everything in a laser-cut black acrylic case that attaches to shelves. Completing the camouflage, the words “Whole Foods Market + Amazon” are emblazoned on the front.

Unless msbirfday extracted the device after the use shown in the video below, it’s likely there’s a very puzzled manager at this particular establishment. Although it’s hard to say what would happen if this hacker got caught, it’s great inspiration if you’d like to make a device that needs to blend in somewhere it doesn’t necessarily belong!