Is Surge Pricing Coming to Walmart?

Surge pricing is not without its controversies. The ability for businesses to adjust prices instantly based on demand has led to a lot of backlash from consumers, especially in the last few years, with companies like Lyft, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s facing criticism from their customers for jacking up the cost of their goods when they see fit. Businesses say that this can work to the customers’ benefit, as they can drop prices too – but let’s be honest, does it ever really feel like they do?

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Now, it looks like surge pricing could be coming for the biggest retailer of them all. Shortly after telling the world that it will be testing in-store sushi bars, Walmart has just announced that it will be innovating in a different way, by rolling out digital labels nationwide. And we’re worried. Here’s what we know.

Digital Labels In Walmart: They’re Finally Here

The retail giant has detailed plans to have digital labels in all of its stores by the end of this year. Instead of the standard paper tag, each product will have a small screen below it displaying its price. Walmart is labelling (get it?) this move as one that will improve efficiency, but it’s pretty telling that it’s also obtained patents for technology that will update its prices automatically across its e-commerce services, as well as tech that can predict new prices based on customer demand. So we wouldn’t be surprised if that technology ends up being used in its stores – just sayin’. 

Although this move from Walmart represents a big step towards a digital future, it’s been working on incorporating digital labels in its stores for a while now. In 2024, it announced that it was introducing digital price displays across half of its stores; this final nationwide push just completes the job.

A Digital Future For Us All

Walmart isn’t the only retailer to push for and ultimately use digital labels. Kroger actually started using the technology way back in 2018, and by 2024, they were across hundreds of its stores. That same year, the retailer actually came under investigation from senators Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey for potential surge pricing practices. Aldi is also working actively to replace its paper price labels with digital ones. Walmart itself has also come under fire recently for its pricing practices, having been accused of illegally overpricing its meat.

So, we may have no choice in the future but to yield to a technologized future in our grocery stores. But how do you beat the surge? Prices tend to shoot up when demand is high, and in the retail world, that can equate to shopping at peak times – so choosing to grab your groceries when the store’s quieter might help a little. That’s not a given, though, and as more and more supermarkets go digital, we can expect more pushback from consumer groups and legislators alike. Things are expensive enough as it is, guys; stop coming for the price of our pasta!