Walmart says it won’t personalize prices despite patent

Walmart is on the defensive after the blast Groundwork Collaborative Report It has patented technology to personalize prices. According to an October 5 report, “The Walmart Watchtower,” several patent applications describe the data Walmart can collect about its users, from the songs on your playlist to your credit report.

Dynamic pricing is the practice of changing prices over a 24-hour period based on conditions such as weather, and it is something that some policymakers are fighting against. Surveillance pricing, which is similar, uses customer behavior and characteristics to price similar products differently.

“Along with the miles-long list of personal data collected from shoppers, outlined in its most recent privacy notice, these patents show Walmart building detailed consumer profiles – and the infrastructure to deepen them – so it appears it can decide the price of people, not products,” the report said.

The report alleges that Walmart plans to charge more based on who the customer is and what they need, such as charging new parents more for baby products. Another example is adjusting prices based on the items in someone’s cart, such as charging more for mayo if someone is already purchasing tuna.

The report also discusses Walmart’s in-house AI shopping assistant, “Sparky,” and claims that customers who use it spend more than those who don’t (and Walmart executives brag about this).

The report is written by Groundwork’s president and CEO, Lindsey Owens, and its vice president of policy, advocacy and research, Elizabeth Panciotti.

Dan Bartlett, Walmart’s executive vice president of corporate affairs, responded to the report the same day. open letter on x (And on walmart website) especially for Owens. He denied Groundwork’s allegations, saying that the report repeatedly faulted Walmart’s pricing practices and use of technology. Walmart will not pursue dynamic pricing and is committed not to do so, he said.

He added, “Your comments about Sparky also draw unfounded conclusions. We do not use AI to excite our customers.”

Owens then responded to the “baseless attacks” on October 5. new statement. He said, “The confusion about Walmart’s pricing practices is self-inflicted. Walmart tells customers one thing in its damage-control letters, tells its investors something else behind closed doors, and tells the United States Patent and Trademark Office an entirely different thing.”

He said he has released a new analysis of the Walmart patent so Americans can decide for themselves. She also expresses concerns about Spark’s capabilities and security measures, especially after the Hugging Face incident.

The Groundwork Collaborative was also part of December 2025 consumer reports investigation Regarding Instacart’s price tests, in which it claimed to increase customers’ grocery bills. Instacart ended the tests after public outcry from both customers and politicians.