Walmart Rebuts Groundwork Collaborative Over Pricing Claims, Denies Dynamic Pricing Plans

Walmart pushed back on allegations it plans to use customer data or digital shelf labels for dynamic pricing, with corporate affairs EVP Dan Bartlett sending a Monday letter to Groundwork Collaborative President Lindsay Owens demanding she "correct the record" on "mischaracterizations." Bartlett reiterated that Walmart (NYSE: WMT) does not and will not use digital shelf labels for individual or dynamic pricing. The dispute follows a Groundwork report citing Walmart patents on electronic shelf labels capable of changing prices dynamically based on cart contents via scan-and-go technology; one such patent was granted in 2023 and expires in April 2039. Walmart said it will not use or renew the patent. Owens countered that Walmart tells customers, investors and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office different things. The exchange comes roughly a week after CEO John Furner said Walmart prices "the product, not the person."