Take a close look at the price tags on the shelves the next time you walk into a Kroger, because something has changed.
Kroger confirmed that nearly one in four of its stores nationwide now use electronic shelf labels, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported
The technology allows the company to change the price of any product in seconds through a centralized computer system rather than by hand. Kroger says the switch will save countless hours of labor and free employees to spend more time helping shoppers in its stores. But a growing number of federal and state lawmakers, including U.S.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, warn that the technology could open the door to predatory surge pricing on groceries. The expansion comes as grocery prices have climbed roughly 31% since March of 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, outpacing overall consumer inflation over the same period.