{
  "id": 10294777,
  "title": "Walmart CEO Says No to Personalized Pricing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/walmart-ceo-says-no-to-personalized-pricing",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-27T21:30:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PYMNTS",
    "slug": "pymnts",
    "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/walmart/2026/walmart-ceo-says-no-to-personalized-pricing/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Walmart's chief executive, John Furner, has declared that the retailer has no intention of utilizing customer data to implement personalized pricing. Furner penned a letter to customers on September 25, defending the company's commitment to its Every Day Low Prices (EDLP) policy. Furner explained that prices fluctuate based on factors like savings passed along or increased costs for items due to transportation. However, personalizing prices using customers' income, shopping history, or urgency would contradict Walmart's EDLP promise. Furner differentiated personalized pricing from Walmart's digital shelf labels, which he claimed guarantees shelf prices match checkout prices while saving associates time repositioning paper price tags. Furner also affirmed that Walmart does not employ customer interactions with its Sparky AI assistant to gather personal information and adjust individual prices. Furner's remarks come as government entities are scrutinizing personalized pricing, also referred to as surveillance pricing. Maryland recently became the first state to ban certain personalized grocery prices, followed by Connecticut and New Jersey. Furthermore, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned that companies using customers' personal data to determine prices may be violating the law. The FTC has noted a scarcity of research on the impact of personalized pricing and uncertainty regarding its widespread adoption. However, available data suggests that advanced personalization tends to boost corporate profits while diminishing consumer benefits. The FTC emphasized that while its legal authority is limited, Congress could enact a comprehensive ban on certain algorithmic pricing and wage practices.",
  "summary": "Walmart’s CEO says the retailer has no plans to use customer data to set personalized prices. John Furner issued a letter to customers Friday (Sept. 25) arguing that such a practice would violate the company’s Every Day Low Prices (EDLP) ethos. “Prices can change,” the letter said. “We lower them when we can pass savings […] The post Walmart CEO Says No to Personalized Pricing appeared first on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}