Grocery store prices are changing faster than ever before — literally. This month, Walmart became the latest retailer to announce it’s replacing the price stickers in its aisles with electronic shelf labels. The new labels allow employees to change prices as often as every ten seconds.

“If it’s hot outside, we can raise the price of water and ice cream. If there’s something that’s close to the expiration date, we can lower the price — that’s the good news,” said Phil Lempert, a grocery industry analyst.

  • Snot Flickerman
    link
    fedilink
    English
    7
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    You can just assume it is every US company because it is.

    This stuff doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

    CEOs talk to each other about this kind of shit and plan together.

    Just like how “AI” has been shoved into fucking everything by everyone even though it is useless and makes a lot of people upset.

    Expect all of them to do it so you don’t have a choice and they all did it to “stay competitive with each other.”

    Making sure there isn’t another option is one hundred percent part of industry plans.

    Just like how trying to replace fast food workers with automation and touch screens has been in the works since the 80’s at least. The tech is just finally cheap enough is all.

    • @theneverfox@pawb.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      46 months ago

      They actually use consultants like McKinley, who are the coordinating force behind a lot of the obviously self-destructive decisions companies are making in lockstep