Posted on 03/25/2026 4:24:10 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Walmart has recently been awarded patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for AI tools that help set pricing decisions. Those patents are getting attention on social media this week as consumers worry about the future of dynamic pricing and so-called surveillance pricing, the practice of charging people different prices for the same goods and services based on their unique attributes.
One of the new patents, US-12524776-B2, includes ways for “dynamically and automatically updating item prices” on e-commerce platforms. The patent filing explains that it combines price elasticity data and predicted demand for a given item, and then an algorithm generates a “first markdown price.”
When the price elasticity data and predicted demand data aren’t available, it creates a “bounded price” that allows for a range to be chosen to set a new price on the platform.
Another patent recently granted to Walmart, US-12572954-B2, involves the use of machine learning to predict the demand of various items and recommend prices. The schematic in the filing even shows that third-party data may be used to help determine the price, a controversial practice when it’s employed by other businesses like airlines to set fares.
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(Excerpt) Read more at gizmodo.com ...
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I found a price on a herbicide Saturday online at the Lowe’s next to my home for $24.98. Under 30 minutes later, I was there and I grabbed two for my cart.
I got up to the self checkout and it rang up at $26.99. I showed the lady there what it was, then refreshed, and it gave the new number.
The lady said all on line prices can change.
I told her I show this as $24.99 at TSC, so I will drive there to get it.
I left and got them there.
I always have.
And always will.....
Until they ban cash.
And that is coming soon.
And come to think of it, if you don’t pay cash... what’s to stop them from raising the price AGAIN between Point of Sale and when your credit /debit / EBT card charge is actually posted to your account???
does that mean the rung up price will now match the little sign on the shelf, finally, or never again remotely match that price?
I don’t care how they set prices as long as they are the same for everyone. They should be marked on the shelf for cans and uniform packaging, and tagged when weighing is involved. They also should not be allowed to change prices more than once per day and preferably before opening for business.
That being said I buy a lot at discount prices from the clearance section. I also use a good points back credit card. I carry no credit balances. I would make sure to see what the total will be at the register before I tell them who I am.
Also I would have to be crippled not to do my own shopping. I go to Walmart a lot and I see lots of employees pushing around carts that are obviously for item picking based on the order on a screen. I support that idea because they get thoroughly paid for everything that moves through their inventory in that way and it helps balance out shrinkage due to shoplifters.
I also see a lot of Middle Eastern men going around doing Door Dash shopping. You can tell them because they pull the shopping carts around behind them. The liberal woman across the street from me gets Door Dash all the time and they look Middle Eastern to me. If you are having groceries delivered with Uber and Door Dash you may be providing employment to immigrants legal or otherwise. I am not going to do that.
This will be tied into your income based on data sold to them by different vendors. The price just went up as you walk down the aisle and your face is scanned and cell phone is detected.
BTW any poor people detected, the price never goes down.
If shopping online then delete the cookie files. Do not log into say amazon or walmart so they do not know who you are.
They want your account as they say to give you a better deal but they will raise prices on you because they know where you live, the home and car value etc.
Unfortunately they can know the computer because it has a mac address number. You can change it with software but that is not known by 99.9% of the people.
And don’t give them your phone number.
[I find it a bit disconcerting that they digitally thank me personally for my purchase at the self checkout...]
I just received the survey for my self checkout of frozen blueberries.
I’m never going to shop at Walmart again.
Way too presumptuous and invasive.
It’s called Diversity Pricing.
I have been telling my microeconomics students for the past 30 years or so that Walmart has been working tirelessly toward this end. HQ has pioneered this system in Northwest Arkansas since at least 1998.
They want to practice perfect price discrimination and charge each customer the very highest price that the customer will pay for each item. They can do it because they have been collecting data at the cash register on EVERYONE.
But they can’t patent price theory. They can only patent their algorithms to apply it. Those who understand the underlying theory (not many left) and can program (NOT code) the logic can figure it out.
AI stands for “acquired ignorance.” Thanks for the post! I’ll share it with my students.
Not sure about Amazon...as a Prime member, the pricing seems to be better when I am logged in vs logged out...
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