Walmart is working to ease worries from customers and lawmakers about its use of digital price tags in stores. CEO John Furner made a public statement saying the company will not set different prices based on personal details like income or shopping habits. He emphasized that this policy will remain in place going forward.
The company’s assurance comes amid growing skepticism from shoppers and lawmakers about the technology rollout. Walmart is using electronic shelf labels to replace traditional paper tags. This change helps ensure that the price displayed matches what customers see at checkout and reduces labor costs by cutting out manual label changes.
Furner also said that Walmart’s AI assistant Sparky will follow the same rule and not raise prices or hide cheaper options for individual users.
He added that such actions would go against the company’s core promise of everyday low prices. Prices can still change due to factors like increased costs or shipping fees but not because of a customer’s personal profile.
About 2,300 Walmart locations already used the digital shelf system as of March and the company expects it to be chain-wide within a year. Executives have repeatedly explained that electronic tags help maintain consistent pricing and reduce the time spent by workers changing labels.
The Federal Trade Commission recently warned that personalized pricing could violate consumer protection laws when businesses fail to properly disclose how personal data affects prices.
The FTC has said it cannot ban personalized pricing in all circumstances. Its proposed enforcement policy says undisclosed use of personal data for personalized pricing may violate federal laws against unfair or deceptive practices. This development has sparked more scrutiny over how retailers collect and use customer information for pricing decisions.