Walmart’s CEO Rules Out Personalised Pricing, Including by Its AI Assistant
Walmart CEO John Furner has ruled out personalised pricing, stating that a shopper's income or shopping history will never dictate their price. This pledge extends to the retailer's AI shopping assistant, Sparky.
September 28, 2026 - 3:15 pm
In a letter to customers posted on September 25, Furner wrote:
"I want to tell you where we stand: We price the product, not the person."
The letter follows Walmart's rollout of digital shelf labels, enabling stores to change prices from a central system. Approximately 2,300 Walmart US locations had already implemented them by March.
Three Commitments
Furner outlined three key commitments:
- Walmart will not set prices based on the customer or the time of day.
- Shopping tools like Sparky will not utilise customer-shared information to increase prices.
- Customers have the option to share additional details for personalised assistance.
He emphasised that:
"When you engage with Sparky, that’s an invitation to serve you better, not to use your personal information to set a personalized price."
Regulatory Perspective
On August 19, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sought comments on a draft policy statement regarding personalised pricing, which involves using personal data to price based on what a company believes a shopper will spend. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson stated:
"When consumers see a listed price, they expect it to be the same price that everyone else sees, not the retailer’s estimate of how much they are willing to pay based on their personal data."
While the FTC cannot prohibit personalised pricing in all cases, businesses that do not disclose how their data influences pricing may be in violation of the FTC Act, according to Ferguson.
Legal Challenges
In June, a lawsuit in California named BP, Walmart, and 7-Eleven over AI-set petrol prices.