The Walmarts in our area went to digital shelf pricing recently and we noticed, anecdotally at least, that prices were even higher than usual. In theory, this tech should enable price management at a lower cost due to reduced labor and pricing errors, but I think it is naive to believe that it won’t be used to further maximize the extraction of value from every customer it has.
Shop with a VPN engaged.
Europe has had this for a decade.
Digital price tags on store shelves.
I have literally seen a price change (upwards of course) as I was reaching for a bag of cookies.
Someone knew I was the Cookie Monster.
It is hard enough to match the price tag with the items at my local Walmarts because they do such a bad job maintaining their shelves, and they have removed all the price checker kiosks so the trip to the cash register is often a surprise.
sounds like bait and switch
Basically SURGE pricing online.
These will never survive.
You walk up and are white, the price jumps up
You’re a guy, the price increases
Does some clerk have to go around every six months and replace the batteries in every label?
Seems odd. You figure most go to walmart, not out of some misplaced brand loyalty, but because they want a lower price.
If the price is no longer lower, they go elsewhere, yes?
So the price can change when you reach for an item on the shelf ?!?!?!
What’s to prevent them from raising the price again a few minutes later at the register?
And soon to come: Prices varying based upon your ‘Social Credit Score’?
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.