stevenpiziks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stevenpiziks) wrote2026-03-23 11:39 am
stevenpiziks) wrote2026-03-23 11:39 am
Entry tags:
Oh, Look! WalMart Is At It Again
You can't tell me that once this goes into effect, WalMart won't use AI to change prices. They would never use AI quickly and often to set prices based on number of shoppers in the store, the time of day, the day of the week, the amount of stock they have, and even the weather. (During bad weather, people don't shop much, so lowering prices would be a way to move stock faster.)
WalMart is swearing they would never, ever do this, but they =already= do it with their employee scheduling. An AI watches all the factors I mentioned above and makes a prediction about how many people they'll need in the store down to the hour. Employees are expected to be in contact with the store regularly because their schedules can change. It was supposed to be sunny today, but it's raining after all, so five people have their shifts canceled at the last minute. The snowstorm wasn't as bad as predicted, so we'll need three more people to come in. And so on.
They do this to people. Do you think they won't do it to prices? Ha.
My prediction? They'll start using "dynamic pricing" until their customers notice. Someone will reach for a jar of pickles or a shirt or a board game and see the pricing screen blip up 10 more cents. Someone else will notice the bag of chips they took off the shelf for $3.29 rings up at $3.99 at the register. And people will howl.
WalMart will deny doing any such thing. It was glitch, they'll say. We would never try to rook people. And they'll stop doing it.
During the day.
Seconds before the store opens every morning, the AI will make predictions about how much local demand there'll be for everything in the store, and it'll set the prices for the day all at once. And all the clerks who used to go around changing prices on the shelves will be quietly fired, victims of the AI-generated economy.
https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/walmart-rolls-digital-price-tags-234500560.html
WalMart is swearing they would never, ever do this, but they =already= do it with their employee scheduling. An AI watches all the factors I mentioned above and makes a prediction about how many people they'll need in the store down to the hour. Employees are expected to be in contact with the store regularly because their schedules can change. It was supposed to be sunny today, but it's raining after all, so five people have their shifts canceled at the last minute. The snowstorm wasn't as bad as predicted, so we'll need three more people to come in. And so on.
They do this to people. Do you think they won't do it to prices? Ha.
My prediction? They'll start using "dynamic pricing" until their customers notice. Someone will reach for a jar of pickles or a shirt or a board game and see the pricing screen blip up 10 more cents. Someone else will notice the bag of chips they took off the shelf for $3.29 rings up at $3.99 at the register. And people will howl.
WalMart will deny doing any such thing. It was glitch, they'll say. We would never try to rook people. And they'll stop doing it.
During the day.
Seconds before the store opens every morning, the AI will make predictions about how much local demand there'll be for everything in the store, and it'll set the prices for the day all at once. And all the clerks who used to go around changing prices on the shelves will be quietly fired, victims of the AI-generated economy.
https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/walmart-rolls-digital-price-tags-234500560.html