Digital Price Tags & Surveillance Pricing: Corporate Scam Against Families

Digital Price Tags & Surveillance Pricing: Corporate Scam Against Families Recent data from GBAO Strategies shows a staggering 68% of Americans oppose "surveillance pricing"—driven by electronic shelf labels (ESLs) and AI—that is being used to aggressively jack up the cost of everyday essentials. A massive 67% of the public wants these digital tags banned outright. With inflation crushing household budgets and wages failing to keep pace, corporations are quietly replacing traditional paper tags with digital screens. This technology enables stores to alter prices dynamically multiple times a day. It opens the door to predatory practices: raising the price of cold drinks when it’s hot, or charging more for milk simply because data tracks a shopper's willingness to pay. Proponents claim ESLs maximize "competitive flexibility," but the reality is clear: it is an automated mechanism for price gouging. Treating a bottle of infant formula like an Uber surge fare is unethical and strips Americans of basic financial predictability. A dozen states are weighing action, but half-measures will not protect our communities. On behalf of the hard-working families you represent, I urge you to enact a comprehensive, loophole-free ban on surveillance pricing and predatory electronic shelf labels.

First sent on May 27 by People Who Value Science