Walmart CEO pledges company won't use personal data to set individual prices

Walmart CEO John Furner released a statement Friday denying the retailer uses personal information to set individual prices and committing that it never will.

"We don't set different prices based on who you are or the time of day, and we won't," Furner said. "Whether you're buying groceries or electronics on a hot afternoon or in a sudden rush for an item, it's never a reason to charge you more."

The pledge covers income, shopping history, and a customer's willingness to pay. Furner also said the company's AI shopping assistant Sparky will not raise a customer's price or hide lower-priced options.

Furner acknowledged that Walmart prices do change when the company passes along cost savings or when items cost more to buy or transport. He framed the commitment as consistent with Walmart's core "every day low prices" business model, noting that personalized pricing would violate it.

Walmart has been rolling out digital shelf labels rapidly. As of March, 2,300 U.S. locations were already using the labels, with expectations to deploy them chain-wide within the next year. The company says digital shelves allow prices to change consistently, match checkout prices, reduce labour, and lower worker time spent on updates.

The statement comes as concerns mount from shoppers, consumer advocates, and lawmakers over digital price labels replacing traditional paper tags at U.S. supermarkets. The labels enable stores to change prices instantly from a central computer.

The Federal Trade Commission issued a bulletin warning that personalized pricing could violate consumer protection laws, though the FTC does not have legal authority to ban it in all circumstances. The FTC does require companies to disclose how personal information is being used to set prices. The specific date Furner released the statement was not provided in the source material.