WASHINGTON (AP) -- Most American consumers don't realize Internet merchants and even traditional retailers sometimes charge different prices to different customers for the same products, according to a new survey.

The study, "Open to Exploitation," found nearly two-thirds of adult Internet users believed incorrectly it was illegal to charge different people different prices, a practice retailers call "price customization." More than two-thirds of people surveyed also said they believed online travel sites are required by law to offer the lowest airline prices possible.

The study, expected to be released Wednesday by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is the latest to cast doubt on the notion of sophisticated consumers in the digital age.

Ha! Sophisticated consumers! That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

For you techno-heads out there, the article mentions basically data gathering to determine a shopper's habits. Is this how they use cookies and/or registering? I've always thought so, but I've never investigated it in this context.

-janelane

CNN.com - Shoppers naive about retail prices online - Jun 1, 2005