Key Points
Walmart is rolling out digital shelf labels and expects the technology to be in all U.S. stores by year’s end. Kroger also has begun experimenting with the technology.
The nation’s largest retailer says the digital price tags help associates do their jobs better and stresses that prices on items will be exactly the same for every consumer in every store.
Some legislators are wary of the technology’s potential to be used in dynamic pricing models that disadvantage consumers, with Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introducing a bill to ban it.
This kind of stuff is inevitable with capitalism, in their continuing effort to make human workers obsolete and save money it makes perfect sense to replace static paper displays with digital ones. I would assume the only reason they didn’t do it any soon is the up front costs.
Dynamic pricing is of course a real concern, but its not like you can’t do dynamic pricing with paper labels, it just takes more effort (and so the prices will probably reflect that as they change). It’s neat how we call it “dynamic pricing” now. but like when it happens in other places its called Hyperinflation, are there still some people foolish enough to think “dynamic” means it could go down also?
…what? How would dynamic pricing be done with paper labels? Have someone stand there, and switch out labels as new people approach?