A Walmart shopper on TikTok says he witnessed a price change happen in real time, and viewers are strongly against what they think is going on.
In his video, which has garnered over 1.4 million views, TikTok creator @rodshydroaquatics films while browsing inside a Walmart.
“I picked this up,” he says while holding a water filter. “Had it in my hands, was looking at it, this light turned green and the price changed.”
He added in the caption, “I had seen some videos of people saying the prices changed on items as they walked down the aisles. Crazy world we live in! This literally went up as I was looking at it!! Walmart has some of the best facial recognition programs in the country!”
Commenters Think It’s Dynamic Pricing
In the comments, viewers quickly jumped to conclusions about what they were seeing.
“Dynamic pricing should be illegal,” one person wrote.
“The cameras saw your face and read your profile and gave you the price it thinks you’re willing to pay,” another said.
“If the price changes from the time you put it in your cart to the time you get to checkout, it should be false advertising,” a third added.
“It was an employee doing price changes. Sorry… we’re just doing our job,” another wrote.
What Is Dynamic Pricing—and Is That What’s Happening Here?
Dynamic pricing is a retail practice where businesses adjust prices based on demand. If a product is in high demand, the price can go up, and if demand drops, the price can go down.
According to reporting from the New York Times, Walmart has denied using this kind of system, even after concerns were raised when the company introduced electronic shelf labels, or ESLs.
There’s also no evidence that Walmart uses surveillance to change prices based on who is looking at an item. Prices can be updated remotely using electronic labels, meaning employees no longer need to manually swap tags. As a result, customers may occasionally see a price change happen in real time.
Why Does Walmart Change Its Prices?
It can happen for a number of reasons. For example, inflation. The U.S. has seen higher inflation rates in recent years, something consumers notice on their grocery shelves right away.
Things like rising fuel prices also play a role. When it costs more to transport goods, retailers often have to factor that into the final price.
Supply chain issues, like the ones seen during the global pandemic, can also be a reason. When products are harder to get or take longer to arrive, prices often increase noticeably.
@rodshydroaquatics I had seen some videos of people saying the prices changed on items as they walked down the isles. Crazy world we live in! This literally went up as I was looking at it!! Walmart has some of the best facial recognition programs in the country! #crazy #pricetag #aquarium #mindblown #bealert @Walmart ♬ original sound – RodsHydroAquatics
The Mary Sue has reached out to Walmart via contact form and @rodshydroaquatics via TikTok messages.
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