As the technological and digital landscape has transformed American retail, there have been some areas of life that have remained unchanged. The grocery store aisle, for instance, looks largely the same as it did 50 years ago. Sure, price stickers on the product have been replaced by bar codes, but otherwise the aisle looks largely the same. But the biggest change since the bar code is hitting in the shelf space that matters most to the pocketbook.
Walmart is currently rolling out digital price tags to replace the old paper ones — the plan is to roll them out in all stores across the U.S. by the end of the year. Walmart isn’t alone. Grocery giant Kroger has also begun experimenting with the technology. The speed of digital tags offers stores the promise of extra efficiency in an age of supply chain shocks and sticky inflation, but it is also drawing some concerns from lawmakers about surge pricing.
Amanda Bailey, a team leader in electronics who works at a Walmart in West Chester, Ohio, estimates that the digital shelf labels — known as DSLs — have cut the time she used to spend on pricing duties by 75%, time that has freed her up to help customers. She also said the DSLs are a game-changer because Walmart’s Spark delivery drivers looking for an item will see a flashing DSL so they can more easily find the product.
Bailey acknowledged that with any change, consumers may be wary, but she waved aside fears of surge pricing. “They are not used to seeing digital tags — they think prices are being raised, but what they are really doing is eliminating processes,” Bailey said.
Scott Benedict, a retail consultant and former executive at Sam’s Club and Walmart, said the concerns of customers are understandable but probably overstated. “When a retailer installs technology that allows prices to change in minutes, shoppers will, of course, wonder how it might be used,” Benedict said. But in grocery stores, he said, trust is fragile because shoppers track prices week after week. “Every penny matters, and people notice small changes. Sensitivity is especially high right now given inflation, tariffs and broader economic pressure,” Benedict said.
“Electronic shelf tags make shopping easier by ensuring customers see clear, accurate pricing right at the shelf,” said a Kroger spokesperson. The digital tags also reduce time spent updating paper tags each week so staff can spend more time helping customers. The tags are only updated to reflect prices seen on the company’s website or to align with weekly promotions, “so customers can count on consistent, reliable information no matter how they shop,” the spokesperson said.
‘Gateway to surge pricing,’ critics say
Dynamic pricing in retail does exist, but Benedict said most of these programs focus on practical use cases, like clearing seasonal items or overstocks, keeping prices aligned across channels, or fixing mismatches quickly. “Not sudden spikes that differ between customers,”…
Read More: Walmart digital price tags are coming to every US store by end of 2026
