Walmart has pledged not to use customers’ income, shopping history or urgency to set individualized prices, including through artificial intelligence. President and CEO John Furner outlined the commitment in a September 25 letter to shoppers.
The promise also covers Sparky, Walmart’s AI shopping assistant. Furner said information shared with the service would not be used to raise a customer’s price or hide cheaper options that meet their needs. Employees will continue overseeing pricing, while Walmart monitors and tests its technology against these commitments.
The retailer’s digital labels have drawn questions about how prices are set. Walmart says the displays help keep shelf and checkout prices consistent and reduce time spent replacing paper tags. The labels do not collect personal information, and all customers see the same shelf price.
The Federal Trade Commission warned in an August proposal that undisclosed personalized pricing could violate consumer protection law. Its proposed enforcement policy targets potentially unfair or deceptive practices involving personal data; it does not establish a blanket ban on personalized prices.
Walmart has also expanded its AI shopping plans through a Gemini partnership with Google. Furner’s pledge sets limits on how customer information can influence prices as those tools develop. Prices can still change because of product or transport costs, or when Walmart passes savings to shoppers.
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