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.
Come on people, use your fucking brain. Consumers are INCREDIBLY sensitive to retailers trying to change prices on the fly. My evidence: Every time this story is submitted, people come out of the WOODWORK yelling “If they try this, we’re up in arms!” Yes, no shit, they are firmly away.
So let’s walk through how it works: You’re shopping, you put items in your cart, you go to check out, and it is… :gasp: like 20% more than it should be! They changed the prices on the shelf while you were shopping!
As soon as anyone even mildly suspects a price difference, they are likely to 1) take pictures of prices when they take them off the shelf and compare to the prices they paid on checkout and 2) talk about it online, causing hundreds or thousands to say “I KNEW IT!!!” and do the same.
So even IF one store was to try this once, it would cause a SHIT TON of people takes measures that would easily catch it. And talk about the negative review cascade that would happen…
Stores may try to play games, sure. But they’re not gonna poke the bear like that. Even if they do, it will NOT go unnoticed. People WILL catch it easily.
So I am absolutely NOT worried about this happening, and all the energy people are wasting worrying about it could be better spent trying to convince people to stand up and take our oligarchs down and take back our country.
Or, sure, you can waste your fucking time masturbating to the idea of you standing up against the Corporate Masters and their Nefarious Price Changing.
So, sure. These tags get implemented where you shop, keep an eye out for them doing something stupid. But they almost certainly won’t.
It’s just like the people who - every thread fast food comes up - talk about how the Big Mac used to be bigger! Nope. 1:10 patties for decades. “But I have my own little pet conspiracy theory!” Okay, you do you, bub.
When I worked in retail I wished for digital tags. Would save so much money and the environment. Go check out your local Walgreens those fucking tags they changed every fucking Sunday and takes all day to replace. You know how much wasted plastic gets thrown away at every Walgreens every Sunday? Fucking crazy. So digital tags could be a good thing but of course they will abuse this and fuck customers.
Assuming people are paying attention to the price when they grab it off the shelf and checking it against the price that comes up on the register is a big jump imo. Maybe the old lady clipping coupons will notice.
As people’s wallets tighten they’re going to start being more aware of what the cost of the item is.
I think this is another gimmick to push Walmart Pay. I bet they’re also going to start up an ad campaign for Scan and Go to secure your price.