Walmart Says It Will Not Use Your Personal Data to Set Your Prices: What 'Surveillance Pricing' Is and How to Protect Your Budget

As stores add digital price tags and AI shopping helpers, many families are asking a fair question: could two people be charged different prices for the same thing?

On Monday, Oct. 5, Walmart published a public letter from Dan Bartlett, its executive vice president of corporate affairs, titled "Correcting the Record: We Price Products, Not People." In it, the nation's largest retailer said it does not and will not use a customer's personal information to set an individual price.

The letter answers criticism from Lindsay Owens, author of the book "Gouged," who has raised concerns about how big retailers use data and technology to set prices.

What Walmart said

In the letter, Bartlett wrote: "We price products, not people. Walmart does not and will not use an individual customer's personal information ... to set an individualized price."

The letter made several other points, according to Walmart:

• No dynamic pricing. Walmart said it doesn't raise prices in response to conditions such as "a hot afternoon or an approaching snowstorm."
• Digital shelf labels are for efficiency. The company said its electronic price tags replace paper tags so approved price changes can be shown faster, and that the labels "do not identify customers" or set prices on their own.
• No AI upcharges. About its AI shopping assistant, called Sparky, Walmart said, "We do not use AI to upcharge our customers."
• Personal data won't raise your price. "Information customers share with us is not used to raise their individual prices," the letter said.
• Patents aren't practices. Walmart said patents describing possible technology don't mean those features are actually being used.

According to Fox Business, Owens responded that Walmart's public statements don't match what it has told investors or what appears in its patent filings, and she released her own analysis of the company's patents. The letter also follows a Sept. 25 statement from Walmart CEO John Furner reaffirming the company's "Every Day Low Prices" approach.

What is surveillance pricing?

"Surveillance pricing" or "personalized pricing" means setting a different price for different people based on data about them. That data could include where you live, what device you use, your shopping history or how urgently a store's systems guess you need something.

It's different from a regular sale, where everyone sees the same lower price, or from coupons and loyalty discounts that you choose to use. The concern is that shoppers can't easily tell if the price they see is the same price someone else sees.

Walmart's letter is a public promise about its own practices. It doesn't change any law, and it doesn't cover other retailers.

What this means for your wallet

Whatever any single store promises, a few habits can help you make sure you're paying a fair price:

• Compare prices across stores and apps. Check the same item at two or three retailers before a big purchase.
• Use the unit price. Shelf tags and many apps show a price per ounce or per item. It's the easiest way to compare package sizes fairly.
• Take a quick screenshot. If you see a price online, a screenshot gives you a record if the price at checkout is different.
• Check your receipt. Pricing mistakes happen, especially when tags change. Many stores will fix an error if you point it out.
• Review your data settings. Store apps and loyalty programs let you see and adjust some data-sharing choices. It's worth knowing what you've agreed to.
• Stick to a grocery budget. A weekly spending limit is still the strongest protection against rising costs, no matter how prices are set.

This article is for education only and is not financial advice. Everyone's situation is different.