John Furner says Walmart won’t charge you more based on who you are, the time of day or what you’re buying in a rush. A consumer group points to a Walmart patent and says it’s not convinced.
Walmart’s new digital price tags can change a price in seconds. The company’s CEO says that doesn’t mean they will.
“We don’t set different prices based on who you are or the time of day, and we won’t,” Walmart CEO John Furner wrote in a letter posted Friday, Sept. 25, per Retail Dive.
“Your income, shopping history, urgency or what we think you could pay won’t change the price,” he added. “And whether you’re buying groceries or electronics on a hot afternoon or in a sudden rush for an item, it’s never a reason to charge you more.”
What are Walmart’s digital shelf labels?
Small electronic screens that replace paper price tags on the shelf.
They let store workers change prices all at once instead of swapping paper tags by hand. About 2,300 Walmart stores in the U.S. had them as of March, and Walmart expects to finish the rollout chainwide within a year, per the Associated Press.
That speed is exactly what worries some shoppers. If a price can change instantly, what stops it from going up when it’s hot out, or when a store is busy?
Does Walmart use dynamic pricing?
Walmart says no.
Furner’s letter rules out charging more based on a shopper’s income, shopping history or urgency, or on the time of day, per Retail Dive. Walmart said much the same when it first announced the labels in 2024. “The DSL program is not designed for dynamic pricing,” a Walmart spokesperson told Fortune at the time.
The letter also covered Sparky, Walmart’s AI shopping assistant. Walmart won’t use what you tell Sparky to raise prices or hide cheaper items, Furner said, per Retail Dive.
Why are people worried about Walmart prices?
A patent, mostly.
The consumer group Groundwork Collaborative points to a patent Walmart received in 2023 for controlling electronic shelf labels remotely, per Retail Dive. The patent describes changing prices “in a dynamic manner,” including based on what’s already in a customer’s cart.
“If a customer has tuna fish, they may be offered a different price for mayonnaise,” the patent says as an example.
“Walmart wouldn’t spend the time, effort, and money to develop and deploy these technologies unless it padded their profits,” Groundwork Collaborative President and CEO Lindsay Owens said in a statement Friday.
Walmart didn’t respond to Retail Dive’s question about why it would patent a feature it says it won’t use. Having a patent doesn’t mean a company uses it. Big companies patent plenty of ideas that never show up in stores.
How popular is Walmart’s Sparky AI assistant?
Growing fast. The number of customers using Sparky is up 70% from last year, and shoppers who use it spend 40% more per order, Furner said on an August earnings call, per Retail Dive.
Who is Walmart CEO John Furner?
He took over as CEO of Walmart Inc. earlier this year, succeeding Doug McMillon. Furner previously ran Walmart’s U.S. stores.
What should shoppers watch for?
Keep an eye on the shelf. If you ever see the same item change price during a single trip, take a photo and ask a manager. Walmart has now promised, in writing from its CEO, that it won’t happen for the reasons people fear most.
For most shoppers, it comes down to this. The tags are digital now. The price is supposed to stay put.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
Retail Dive (Dani James, Sept. 28, 2026), Furner’s letter, Sparky, the patent and Groundwork Collaborative
Associated Press via ABC News, digital shelf label rollout numbers
Fortune (June 21, 2024), Walmart’s original no-dynamic-pricing statement
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