The new labels allow employees to change prices as often as every ten seconds.

“If it’s hot outside, we can raise the price of water and ice cream. If there’s something that’s close to the expiration date, we can lower the price — that’s the good news,” said Phil Lempert, a grocery industry analyst.

Apps like Uber already use surge pricing, in which higher demand leads to higher prices in real time. Companies across industries have caused controversy with talk of implementing surge pricing, with fast-food restaurant Wendy’s making headlines most recently. Electronic shelf labels allow the same strategy to be applied at grocery stores, but are not the only reason why retailers may make the switch.

  • Brkdncr
    235•3 months ago

    If it’s hot outside we can raise the price of water…”

    Holy fuck dude that’s some endgame capitalism right there.

    • dudeami0
      83•3 months ago

      Is it price gouging if there is a heat advisory is my question, and how enforceable is that. For water it’s just cruel, especially in places with little access to drinkable tap water.

      • JasonDJ
        6•3 months ago3 months ago

        The fucked up thing is that it’ll have to get legislated. Like there will be a bill that says you can’t price gouge on water in a heat advisory.

        And the more fucked up thing is that it’ll be controversial.

        And then you realize that this is why we can’t have nice things. We can’t all just play nice together on our own, no, as much as we all claim to hate daddy government, we need him to come down and remind us that shit like this is anti-human and start defining rules that really should have just been common decency in the first place.

        Like how I feel when I tell my younger kid to stop throwing forks in the house. I shouldn’t have to tell you that. I told you yesterday, and the day before. And I told you three times today to stop throwing things. And then I get forked in the arse.

    • satanmat
      45•3 months ago

      Yes. That is actually the point. MUST maximize that profit!

      Airlines do this now, as does Uber.

      The tech is only just catching up for retail. This is end game capitalism hope you enjoyed the ride.

    • CluelessLemmyng
      14•3 months ago

      It’s Walmart. They are one of the scummiest around. They nickel and dime everything and everyone.

    • doingthestuff
      5•3 months ago

      Always has been. Do you know the story of Jacob and Esau and the cost of a lentil stew for a starving brother?

    • Zier
      3•3 months ago

      My answer to Walmart’s greed is… Some of us don’t buy bottled water, so feel free to raise it to $100 a bottle.

      • ComicalMayhem
        9•3 months ago3 months ago

        right, but some people do, and by encouraging this, you’re fucking over your fellow humans.

        edit: There are also situations where you don’t have a choice but to buy water bottles. maybe you’re out of your home, your personal bottle is empty, and it’s hot out. maybe you’re at the airport. sure you could drink from water fountains, but what if they’re nowhere near you? or what if they don’t work?

        • TheHarpyEagle
          8•3 months ago

          Also if you live in, say, Flint, MI, you have reason not to trust the tap water.

          • woodenskewer
            2•3 months ago

            The next town over from me, if you wash a white shirt in the washing machine it comes out with a tint of brown. We drink bottled water.

        • Aceticon
          1•3 months ago

          I supposed it depends on the country, but as far as I know in most of Europe you can just enter a coffee shop or the local equivalent and ask for a glass of tap water.

          Mind you, even though I bought a metal water bottle years ago and almost never buy bottled water nowadays, as you say sometimes it happens that one needs, though its rare and it’s highly unlikely I would be going to a supermarket to buy water.

          • ComicalMayhem
            4•3 months ago

            oh, Europe, yeah that makes sense. see I live in bumfuck America where they’ll tell you to get fucked and then shoot your kid

    • Sir_Fridge
      1•3 months ago

      It’s the rollercoaster tycoon umbrella strat all over again

    • brlemworld
      -4•3 months ago

      Water is free/cheap though. They have a water fountain. You have plumbing into your living space with a virtually limitless supply.