BIG CHANGES COMING TO WALMART AND KROGER?!? ~ THIS WOULD BE MAJOR 😳😳😳

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:03][music] [music] Hi everyone and welcome to Ohio Valley Couponer. Today it is Tuesday, May the 19th of 2026 and I'm coming at you guys with another chat video. And as you saw in that title, big changes at Walmart and Kroger potentially with some more lawmakers wanting to do regulations on things. So, we're going to be talking about this in the video, giving you guys the information, and I'll give you guys my opinions as well. I would love to hear your thoughts down below on what you think about this. Are you for this?

[00:00:39]Are you against this? What do you think this could mean for the couponing community? So, anyways guys, we are going to start by talking about what this even is. So, I have seen several stores in my area actually start to implement this. Aldi started a long time ago and then Walmart this year rolled out digital price tags. So, instead of having paper price tags, they're electronic and all price changes are basically done in the computer. Now, other states or other cities or whatever, I'm sure there are Kroger stores in Ohio. Mine has not yet, but Kroger has also done this. So, stores are implementing this digital price tag thing. So instead of making workers go around and change the prices, it's just all electronically, which at a first glance sounds good because it will allow the store employees to, you know, devote more time to stocking shelves and, you know, helping customers and things like that. Also, how many times have you gone to the store with all this lovely inflation stuff and you have gone to pick something up and it's marked at a certain price and it rings up more? I have had that happen many times, unfortunately. So, they're also saying it will fix that kind of issue. So there are definitely perks to this. However, there are definitely drawbacks and there are actually people in the federal and statewide levels basically trying to kind of multiple ways are trying to do this. Some states are, you know, doing a more moderate approach to this to prevent certain things while not completely banning digital price tags.

[00:02:07]However, on the federal level, they are actually trying to ban digital price tags on grocery stores larger than 10,000 square feet, which would include Walmart and Kroger. And like we talked about in the beginning, they've implemented this. So, federal legislation called this act, it's called the Stop Price Ginger Stores Act of 2026, and it would ban electronic shelf labels in most grocery stores larger than 10,000 square feet.

[00:02:31]Lawmakers and labor unions are also concerned about something called surveillance pricing where retailers could use customer data, AI, [clears throat] algorithms, cameras, or loyalty information to charge different shoppers different prices. So, that is a big concern with this as well. They're thinking that these labels can somehow track customer data, which a lot of stores are already doing anyways with the loyalty cards. But they're thinking that what it will do is it'll charge like I could walk into Kroger and pay $2 for a gallon of milk than somebody that they determine could pay more, you know, they'll charge $4 for a gallon of milk.

[00:03:04]Now, I've not seen anybody do that, but that's what they are, you know, talking about in potentially in these like bills. So, they're wanting to multiple states are considering laws regulating or banning things including dynamic pricing that changes instantly. So that's like let's say that there's snow shovels and they're five bucks on a normal day, but then they call for a snowstorm and they charge it for 10 bucks. They're saying it would like change that personalized prices based on customer behaviors or demographics, which would not be good because that's like our best customer coupons at Kroger, like they track our purchases and give us the coupons, CRTs at CVS, stuff like that. And they're saying they don't want to charge higher, they don't want stores be able to charge higher prices during certain times, weather events or demand spikes. So that is what the federal and state levels are trying to do. But we got a state who is actually got a ban passed. Now I will say it is more moderate. It's not, you know, banning the digital tags or anything like that. But Maryland is banning surveillance pricing at grocery stores and it says it's prevent to meant to prevent future abuse before it happens. So, it says that it will not allow, you know, the surveillance pricing kind of thing, but stores can still use the electronic shelf labels.

[00:04:19]They still, you know, can do loyalty discounts, but they're saying like they don't want it to be able to do the surveillance type of pricing we talked about. Now, Maryland's is a little more, you know, lenient, but there are other states and even on the federal level. I mean, this federal act is very, very strict and it would not allow for the digital tags at all, it would not allow for like CRTs and best customer coupons.

[00:04:44]So, if it passes on the federal level where things are at, like what they're wanting to do, that would not be good for retailers and it wouldn't be good, I feel like, for customers because while yes, I do acknowledge that they're trying to pass it so they can't do dynamic pricing. you can't change things, you know, on a whim. But I think I think it goes a little too far by banning like the best customer coupons and things like that, like saying everybody has to pay the same things for stuff because yeah, I think there's a balance and I think that Maryland did a good job with the balance and I'm hoping that other states and hopefully the federal level will take on to that. But let's talk about Walmart. So Walmart specifically is speaking out again about this digital price tags because they are implementing it in like all their stores. So, they are saying digital price tags are now in about half of its US stores and expanding nationwide. It says they do not collect customer information. They do not contain cameras or microphones. And a big concern that some of these um you know lawmakers are saying is okay, let's say you go and you pick up a gallon of milk and it says $2.99, then you get to the register and it's $3.99. They're saying with this electronic price tag stuff, it gives them the authority to do that and people not even realize it. Walmart says that most price changes occur outside of shopping hours. Most makes you a little nervous, right? Um, but since most change outside of shopping hours and the technology mainly saves employee labor and improves pricing accuracy, which I will say is nice because like I said, there are times I've gone to the store and they just haven't gotten around to changing the tags because a lot of times these, you know, these workers are expected to multitask. And I'll see it, especially at stores like CVS. They'll run and check somebody out and then they'll have to go back and stock shelves and they'll have to run back up and check somebody out. And you know, obviously there's room for error with that because they're only one person.

[00:06:26]They can't do both things at the same time. So that side of it, I think, is good. For that reason alone, it's definitely great. Supporters of these electronic labels say that it's simply a modernization of paper pricing systems.

[00:06:38]Similar fears existed decades ago when states stopped requiring individual price stickers on products, which is definitely true. Um, now we have the barcodes and the single price tags. They used to have to have the price on every single product. So, they're saying it's similar to that. And it says shoppers eventually adapted to that before with the single shelf tags. They'll adapt to this. Now, opponents are saying even if stores are not currently using surveillance pricing, the technology could enable it later and regulation should happen now before this happens more widespread. So, I don't know.

[00:07:08]Public opinion. So, the public opinion, and I got all my information from coupons.com, by the way. Three different articles. I love that website. They have such great articles. I'll have a link to all those down below if you want to read further. But according to a poll in Maryland, 68% supported banning the digital tags. 61% said they don't trust grocery stores to use the technology responsibly. And most respondents believe digital pricing technology would increase grocery costs. So, very interesting. I'm going to give you my take on it. I see both sides. I really do. I see why stores are saying this will be better because number one, it does cut back on labor and people don't have to look at CVS if they adopted something like this. The cashier could actually just, you know, stock the shelves or be up at the register. They wouldn't have to keep running back and changing the tags. That's why CVS, I believe, switched to, in my opinion, I'm pretty sure why they switched to the twoe ad was because people the tagging like they had to tag all that stuff every week and now that it's two weeks, it cuts back on that. Um, so I think that's one of the reasons they did that.

[00:08:11]And Kroger, too. Like Kroger, these mega events now typically go for 3 weeks instead of two like they used to. So it probably cuts back on tagging. And so if they implement these digital price tags across the board, it'll save a lot of, you know, a lot of effort. However, I do see people saying, "Well, things can change on a whim and then customers won't realize it." I say whether you're at a store with digital tags or paper tags, always, always, always, always watch the like the register. Watch it like a hawk because things a lot of times are marked incorrectly, put in their incorrect spots, things like that.

[00:08:46]You can't always trust the tag. You have to really study the register um and see, you know, what it rings up as. I don't know. I feel like the federal legislation is too far. I understand they are saying that they shouldn't be allowed to just price gouge stuff on a whim. I do get that. Um so I think you know regulations with that are okay.

[00:09:06]Like look during the pandemic people were charging outrageous for hand sanitizer and things like that. So I understand those kind of regulations. I think bringing the digital price tags in it is a little too far. And definitely the best customer coupons and things like that. Those are just loyalty perks.

[00:09:20]You know stores have gimmicks to try to get you to shop at that store. that's why these stores do this kind of stuff.

[00:09:25]And so, I don't know. I think at that point that's taking it too far. I'd love to know you guys' thoughts. Do you support this? Like, do you think they should ban digital price tags? Do you think they should ban personalized coupons that are, you know, given tracking our data? Or do you think that, you know, it's a good thing to have these things? I would love to know that down below. Anyways, guys, that's all I got. Hope you all enjoyed and thank you so so much for watching.

[00:09:50][music] >> [music] [music] >> Hello.

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