Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized Walmart on Thursday. She cited the company's patenting of "surveillance pricing" technology. Warren stated in a social media post that the technology could allow Walmart to charge individual shoppers different prices for the same item. This pricing would depend on other contents in their shopping cart.
The senator's comments included an example. A customer buying tuna could be charged a higher price for mayonnaise. This accusation revives a debate about dynamic pricing. Retailers use technology and customer data to adjust prices based on demand or a shopper's profile.
Walmart previously stated similar patents managed online markdowns. The company said these were not for implementing "surge pricing" in stores. Walmart had not issued an immediate response to Senator Warren's latest remarks.