Is the day when Internet retailers change their prices based on how badly you want something just around the corner?

A recent pricing experiment at Amazon.com raises the question of just how far e-retailers will take personalized pricing. The giant online seller had been offering customers different prices for DVDs. The price changes were random, Amazon insists.

Personalized pricing will also come into vogue in the next five years. New account representatives will interview customers, display a smorgasbord of financial services, and then draw up a plan for each individual customer that will be priced on the total relationship.