‘They’ll Raise the Price After You Buy It,’ Walmart Shoppers Say About Price Change and Automatic Increase Fears

WALMART shoppers are worried that new digital price tags will result in price increases, but the company has promised that won’t happen.

Earlier this month, Walmart announced the technology upgrade after a successful test at a store in Texas.

two

Digital shelf labels allow employees to update prices in minutes, a process that would previously take two days.

Walmart executives said the upgrade will increase productivity and give employees more time to help customers.

The company also promised not to use the tags to participate in price gouging or dynamic pricing, a model in which prices can increase depending on the number of people in the store.

“This is absolutely not going to be the price one hour and the next hour it’s not going to be,” said Greg Cathey, senior vice president of transformation and innovation.

But buyers are not convinced.

“They will totally raise the price after you pick it up and go to the cash register,” wrote customer Jake (@jrobidy) in X.

“Because no company has ever lied to their customers before,” another shopper pointed out.

A customer was upset that Walmart was updating tags before another important technology option.

“Walmart’s move to digital price tags and high-tech cash registers that don’t even accept Apple Pay or any digital currency method just doesn’t make sense,” they complained on X.

The tags will initially be added to 1,400 stores and will be rolled out to the remaining 2,300 Walmart stores by the end of 2026.

INTERNAL PERSPECTIVE

Daniela Boscan, food and consumables team leader at Walmart, where they tested the labels, said the labels would benefit both shoppers and employees.

“Working with DSLs has transformed my daily routine,” she said.

“A price change that used to take an associate two days to update now takes just a few minutes with the new DSL system.”

Walmart Digital Tags

Walmart issued the following statement to The US Sun regarding digital tags.

“Walmart’s pricing strategy and business model continues to be Everyday Low Prices (EDLP).”

“Our new digital shelf labels (DSLs) are a technology tool to communicate these prices in stores and to streamline associate tasks, including price updates, stocking shelves and selecting products for online ordering.

“Digital shelf labels improve our employee productivity by simplifying tasks, which allows employees more time to support customers.

“Customers will experience the benefit of increased support and customer service.

“Walmart continues to be a people-led, technology-driven omnichannel retailer, and we are excited to enhance customer and associate experiences with new technology and productivity tools in our stores.”

Boscan said the “Stock to Light” feature also saves employees time.

Digital tags will light up to signal that a product needs attention, making it easier for employees to restock out-of-stock items.

Tags will also help employees receive online orders faster.

A “Pick to Light” feature on labels guides employees to products in the order they are working, which also helps improve order accuracy.

Shoppers also complained about a recently added fee for Walmart+ subscribers.

Target is facing similar complaints regarding its new checkout policy.