Walmart CEO stance

Walmart’s CEO says the retailer has no plans to use customer data to set personalized prices.

“Walmart’s CEO says the retailer has no plans to use customer data to set personalized prices”

EDLP policy

John Furner issued a letter to customers Friday (Sept. 25) arguing that such a practice would violate the company’s Every Day Low Prices (EDLP) ethos.

EDLP explanation

Prices can change. We lower them when we can pass savings along. Sometimes they rise because an item costs more to buy or transport. But 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.

Digital shelf labels

He differentiated the practice of personalized pricing from Walmart’s adoption of digital shelf labels, which Furner said ensures shelf prices match the price at checkout while saving associate times on swapping out paper price tags.

AI assistant

The CEO added that Walmart does not use customer conversations with its Sparky AI assistant to glean personal information and set a specialized price.

State action

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act into law in April. Since then, Connecticut and New Jersey have adopted their own restrictions.