Grocery stores are moving to digital price tags, good or bad?

[Ingomike]

I have mixed thinking on this topic. If grocers sell near 70% of sales on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is it bad if they lower prices on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and raise them on weekends? I am 100% against anti gouging laws as economists have proven repeatedly that price increases in disaster situations allocate scarce resources better than the anti gouging laws.

Grocery stores are moving to digital price tags: are they harming consumers?

Democratic Senators Bob Casey and Elizabeth Warren are probing grocery store chain Kroger over the use of digital price tags that they worry could enable price gouging.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[Nugget]

If the price on the digital display is tied to the computer system better, and is the price that actually shows up at the register when I check out, then I'm fine with this.

I'm always amazed at how often Meijer and Kroger seem to leave up old sale price stickers past the sale end date, and how frequently things ring up differently than the sticker display. The incompetence feels willful.

 

[snorko]

It makes sense for the stores if only for the ease of changing labels when things go on/off sale, etc. Schnuck's is the big regional chain here and I shop there almost exclusively. They have switched and I do not like it. I am good at shopping for what I need only, but am a maven for finding clearance items on things I use and buying a bunch. The paper labels were very obvious for sale and clearance. The digital labels are smaller and harder to read. When an item is on sale or clearance the background changes from gray to red. It is muted though and hard to distinguish.

 

[Ingomike]

It makes sense for the stores if only for the ease of changing labels when things go on/off sale, etc. Schnuck's is the big regional chain here and I shop there almost exclusively. They have switched and I do not like it. I am good at shopping for what I need only, but am a maven for finding clearance items on things I use and buying a bunch. The paper labels were very obvious for sale and clearance. The digital labels are smaller and harder to read. When an item is on sale or clearance the background changes from gray to red. It is muted though and hard to distinguish.

Ever take pictures of the displayed price? That is proof and they should sell it at that price…

 

[Ark]

Honestly the biggest factor here is probably having no people to go around swapping price tags.

 

[smokingman]

If they only change them during hours the business is not open I am fine with them. If they change prices in real time as gas stations do every news event will inpact food like it does gas. That I am not ok with. It very well could lead to food prices becoming even less stable over time. It will not just be the wholesale markets setting prices that get passed down, the large chains will see every harvest/event as a need to change prices and depending on how well the people doing it understand things like corn futures will determine how badly people have it.
Example the guy at corporate sees corn futures fluctuate higher so raises all prices on corn,beef,and corn oil containing product. The next day food prices are all up, but a larger harvest lowers futures back to normal...anyone anywhere think prices would go back down? It will make food just like gas.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

My local Kroger used to be real bad about that. But if it rang up wrong the first one was free. The rest at sticker price. But yeah it felt willful, especially when they would just leave the wrong price up for days sometimes.

If the price on the digital display is tied to the computer system better, and is the price that actually shows up at the register when I check out, then I'm fine with this.

I'm always amazed at how often Meijer and Kroger seem to leave up old sale price stickers past the sale end date, and how frequently things ring up differently than the sticker display. The incompetence feels willful.

 

[snorko]

Ever take pictures of the displayed price? That is proof and they should sell it at that price…

There i no problem with the price ringing up correctly, it is simply harder to notice the sale and clearance items.

 

[stocknup]

An item should cost the same no matter what day of the week it is ........A lot of people`s schedules aren`t flexible .
I think it opens up the door for gouging when convenient and profitable for the store .

I miss the days when this is how you changed the price of things ............
Used one at our local IGA back in the "daze" ............

 

[Ingomike]

I think it opens up the door for gouging when convenient and profitable for the store .

So you support anti gouging laws?

 

[smokingman]

If they only change them during hours the business is not open I am fine with them. If they change prices in real time as gas stations do every news event will inpact food like it does gas. That I am not ok with. It very well could lead to food prices becoming even less stable over time. It will not just be the wholesale markets setting prices that get passed down, the large chains will see every harvest/event as a need to change prices and depending on how well the people doing it understand things like corn futures will determine how badly people have it.
Example the guy at corporate sees corn futures fluctuate higher so raises all prices on corn,beef,and corn oil containing product. The next day food prices are all up, but a larger harvest lowers futures back to normal...anyone anywhere think prices would go back down? It will make food just like gas.

Thinking about this a bit more the consumer and business could be protected to some degree for market volitility and specutation. It would be simple. Pass a law(something I do not say lightly,generally in favor of less not more of them) that prices can only be changed once per day after normal closing hours. The business is protected in that they can raise prices on future inventory costs and the consumer is protected to some degree from a market speculator in corn futures at the opening bell does not impact their food costs(that day). It would add a little stability,but not much. futures are supposed to do that,but it has turned into a feeding frenzy of speculators(I know, I have been one of them).

 

[armalitesheepdog]

An item should cost the same no matter what day of the week it is ........A lot of people`s schedules aren`t flexible .
I think it opens up the door for gouging when convenient and profitable for the store .

I miss the days when this is how you changed the price of things ............
Used one at our local IGA back in the "daze" ............
View attachment 374457

Oh the good ole days

 

[Cameramonkey]

Ever take pictures of the displayed price? That is proof and they should sell it at that price…

WHen I see a good sale, I will. Multiple times Ive gotten up front and the register scans it $5 more than the shelf tag. (case of beer)

Usually they will honor it. On the rare occasion I get a clueless peon that says "we cant change the price of alcohol. State law." Im not asking you to match somebody else's price. Im asking you to honor the price on the shelf. You can do that. If you insist, call a manager. (who will always override it once they see the pic)

 

[Leo]

If I do not understand what the price is, I leave it on the shelf. If the cashier charges a different price, I leave it at the register. I buy with intention, and stock up when convenient. It is very seldom do I purchase because I need it right then and there, so I can be more independent.

The Mrs, will have a pot on the stove and realize she forgot one ingredient. She will run to the closest store and just buy the one missing ingredient no matter what it costs. That kind of shopper is not offended by retail manipulation, But I am.

If it comes down to having to duel with their app on my phone vs their computer for every transaction, I just will stop trading at that company, and send the store manager and corporate a letter why. I know they don't care, but they should be exposed to the truth.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

She will run to the closest store and just buy the one missing ingredient no matter what it costs.

That goes against the old adage, "A man will buy something he needs whether it's on sale or not. A woman will buy something that's on sale whether she needs it or not."

But seriously, would you leave the pot on the stove and wait for someone to have a sale on that missing ingredient? Or drive 20 miles to get it when the store at the corner has it now?

 

[Sphinx313]

IMO most people don't care if they grab something that's labeled $2.49 but rings up $2.99. They just pay or didn't even notice in the first place. That covers the stores that forget to take sale tags down and sell a few items at the sale price when they shouldn't have.

We have had "digital price tags" for a long time at basically any drive-thru. I don't think the swing is enough to worry about it. At least half the country wouldn't notice if something was ~$1 more from one week to the next. I get that there are some weirdos that will drive 6 miles to save .03 on gas or try to find someone to help them at Walmart save $1 on a dented can but that's not the majority.

 

[littletommy]

WHen I see a good sale, I will. Multiple times Ive gotten up front and the register scans it $5 more than the shelf tag. (case of beer)

Usually they will honor it. On the rare occasion I get a clueless peon that says "we cant change the price of alcohol. State law." Im not asking you to match somebody else's price. Im asking you to honor the price on the shelf. You can do that. If you insist, call a manager. (who will always override it once they see the pic)

Had that exact thing happen at Meijer several years ago. They had 24 packs marked as sale price 16.99, which was Krogers regular price, but I was there and I figured it would save me a stop at Kroger. Got to the only one of Meijers 225 checkout lines that was actually open, and the beer rang up for 18.99. The girl said “sorry, can’t change alcohol prices”. The hippy manbun manager came over and repeated what the girl said. I explained that it was clearly marked as 16.99, but never mind, I’ll just get it at Kroger. To which manbun dude says “ok, we’ll go ahead and sell it to you for 16.99”.

I kinda felt bad for going ahead and buying it at the “sale” price, but, I think that was probably the last time we did any shopping there. Wasn’t the first time dumb stuff like that happened there.

 

[Leo]

That goes against the old adage, "A man will buy something he needs whether it's on sale or not. A woman will buy something that's on sale whether she needs it or not."

But seriously, would you leave the pot on the stove and wait for someone to have a sale on that missing ingredient? Or drive 20 miles to get it when the store at the corner has it now?

I would have planned better, or adapted my recipe with a substituted ingredient.

I don't drill the holes without knowing what bolts I have to work with.

I am one of those that two equals one and one equals none logistics planners. I put things on the list as I use them even if I still have an extra (or three) on the shelf.

 

[BigRed]

The digital tags will be helpful to the groceries when the Fiat dollar crashes and prices are changing by the minute

 

[Dentoro]

By any other name ……It’s surge pricing.