Walmart shopper picks up a $3.98 butter. Two minutes later, he finds the price has increased at checkout: ‘Are we serious?’
The CEO addressed the price changes.
According to the Associated Press, food prices have risen 33% since 2019, making it increasingly difficult for many Americans to put food on the table. As a result, people are opting for cheaper grocery alternatives. But what do you do when prices listed on the shelf aren’t the same at the register? That’s the predicament a Walmart shopper found himself in.
Patrick (@rapidpenguinz) shared about the incident in a video that has amassed over 561,800 views on TikTok. “Me and my son went to Walmart to pick up some butter and some other items for my baking,” Patrick said in the video. Patrick told viewers that he’s especially mindful of prices because of the increasing costs these days, so when he quickly picked up the items he needed at the grocery store, he immediately noticed a discrepancy.
“I’m very aware of prices because of how high stuff is,” Patrick said. “I go to checkout, and I start noticing that my prices are higher.” He said he immediately notified a Walmart manager about the issue, only to be told that prices are constantly changing.
A two-minute walk had his price changing
“The prices can change from the time you leave the area to the time you get to the register because the computer updates,” the manager told Patrick, according to his account. Naturally, the response only confused Patrick even more, since he claimed he didn’t shop long at the store: “You can’t tell me that if I pick up an item that’s $3.98, by the time I walk to the register, which is less than two minutes, and the price goes up? Like, no… no.”
Patrick turned to the camera in disbelief and specifically called out Walmart for the unexpected price hike. “Is this what we’re doing, Walmart? Like, are we serious?” he said. He then questioned the retail giant’s “right to change prices” between the moment he picks up a product and when he reaches the checkout. “Man, something’s gotta give.”
Patrick’s experience left many sympathizing with the situation and feeling that collective action needs to be taken for changes to be made. “We all need to boycott Walmart,” a commenter wrote. Some felt like the shopping chain was using underhanded tactics, saying, “They’re banking on people not noticing, which is sneaky as hell.”
Others were straightforward: “This is absolutely illegal.” Another chimed in with, “I thought laws say if it’s marked at a price they have to honor it.” Many, however, claimed that Walmart had begun using dynamic pricing based on the customer with the rollout of digital price displays. However, it’s important to note that Patrick did not specify whether this was actually the case on his end.
Walmart denies personalized pricing with digital tags
The Sun, on the other hand, reported that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued swift warnings to retailers like Walmart over the use of “personalized pricing.” This led shoppers to believe that prices are adjusted in real time based on their spending habits, purchasing power, and market trends.
“When consumers see a listed price, they expect it to be the same price that everyone else sees,” Andrew Ferguson, the chairman of the FTC, said. “Not the retailer’s estimate of how much they are willing to pay based on their personal data.”
While the FTC does not have the jurisdiction to ban personalized pricing, it emphasized that businesses may violate FTC laws if they fail to inform consumers about how their personal data is used in determining prices. As a result, the FTC is considering the possibility of introducing legislation to regulate or prohibit personalized pricing.
Meanwhile, Walmart CEO John Furner issued a statement on Sept. 25 denying allegations that prices are based on a shopper’s data. “Using someone’s income, shopping history or moment of need to charge them more would violate the EDLP promise our business model is built on. We won’t do it,” Furner said.
Furner claimed that the price on the shelf should match the price at checkout, adding that “digital shelf labels help us do that more consistently by displaying the right price.” For now, Walmart will continue to monitor its pricing and technology in a bid to uphold its shopping commitments.
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