PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Whole Foods and Walmart stores across Oregon have started rolling out digital, rather than paper, price tags that allow for instantaneous price changes. Oregonians may soon see these at Fred Meyer.
Kroger, Fred Meyer’s parent company, announced in 2024 that it would transition to digital price tags. At the time, some members of Congress expressed concern the practice could allow the corporation to surge prices based on the weather, time of day or holidays.
“These digital price tags may enable Kroger and other grocery chains to transition to ‘dynamic pricing,’ in which the price of basic household goods could surge based on the time of day, the weather, or other transitory events — allowing stores to calibrate price increases to extract maximum profits at a time when the amount of Americans’ income spent on food is at a 30-year high,” the letter signed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and then-Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., reads in part.
Kroger has not yet transitioned Fred Meyer stores in Oregon to digital pricing. In a written statement to KATU, the company denied the feasibility of surge pricing.
“Electronic shelf tags make shopping easier by ensuring customers see clear, accurate pricing right at the shelf. These tags also reduce time spent by our associates updating paper tags each week so they can spend more time doing what they do best, helping customers. And just like traditional paper tags, electronic shelf tags are only updated to reflect the same great prices you see at fredmeyer.com and in our weekly ads and promotions so customers can count on consistent, reliable information no matter how they shop,” the statement reads in part.
Digital pricing signs at a Portland area Walmart store on May 1, 2026 – KATU image
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Whole Foods and Walmart stores across the state have already begun replacing paper tags with digital ones, though some items are still labeled with paper tags. A spokesperson for the corporations says they began this as a pilot program in Austin in 2024 and have since expanded it to 150 stores nationwide. The first Oregon store to begin adding digital price tags was in Eugene.
“Whole Foods Market does not use surge/dynamic pricing. Through this pilot we aim to simplify the price tag change process for our team members, reduce paper waste from traditional tags, and improve the customer experience,” the spokesperson said in a written statement.
The corporation says a survey it sent its customers shows patrons support the rollout of digital tags.
Walmart also denied the practice of surge pricing.
“Price updates are still people-led and support Walmart’s Everyday Low Price (EDLP) promise. Associates review and push approved changes through a secure system, typically outside of shopping hours, so prices remain stable and consistent during the day. That means customers see clear, consistent prices at the shelf that match what they are charged at the register,” a statement from the company reads in part.
A proposed bill supported by Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley would prohibit grocery stores from using technology to price gouge.
“Working families are paying more than ever for groceries, while huge corporations are raking in record profits,” the senator said in a written statement. “We must protect Americans from price gouging and from billionaire corporations abusing folks’ personal information just to charge higher prices. The Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act cracks down on this corporate greed — in the store and online — putting people over profits.”
Dining and Cooking