67% of Americans Back Electronic Shelf Label Ban as 68% Fear Surveillance Pricing
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · May 26
67% of Americans Back Electronic Shelf Label Ban as 68% Fear Surveillance Pricing
6 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · May 26
67% of Americans support banning electronic shelf labels, while 68% say surveillance pricing could raise grocery costs, according to a new GBAO Strategies survey distributed by the UFCW.
65% think digital price tags would be used to increase prices and just 3% expect lower prices; 58% said the technology would make them less likely to shop at a store.
Walmart is rolling out electronic shelf labels chainwide by the end of 2026, though it says it will not use them to raise prices automatically and requires a human manager to approve changes.
66% of respondents also worry about grocery costs as inflation ran at 3.8% in April versus 3.6% wage growth, adding to pressure over tools that could enable faster price changes.
At least a dozen states are considering surveillance-pricing rules, and Maryland has already passed the first grocery-store ban, though activists say the law contains major loopholes.
Are digital price tags a path to savings or a tool for personalized price gouging?
With new laws emerging, can retailers still exploit loopholes to charge you more for groceries?
The Rise of Surveillance Pricing: How Dynamic Pricing and Electronic Shelf Labels Are Reshaping U.S. Grocery Regulation
Overview
The rapid adoption of electronic shelf labels and dynamic pricing in grocery stores has sparked strong public outcry and led to a surge of legislative action across the United States. Consumers and lawmakers are increasingly worried about surveillance pricing, where personal data like browsing history and location could be used to charge higher prices to certain shoppers. This has resulted in calls for immediate regulatory safeguards. States such as New York have already enacted disclosure laws and are considering outright bans, reflecting a growing demand for transparency and fairness as technology changes how prices are set in retail.