Kroger is phasing out the familiar paper price tags in its Columbus-division stores and swapping them for rows of small electronic screens, a change the company says will reach every store in the market by the end of 2027. The upgrade is billed as a way to speed up price changes and cut paper waste, even as it stirs fresh debate over whether digital tags could let retailers adjust prices in real time.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that Kroger plans to roll out digital price tags in all 115 Columbus-division stores by the end of 2027. The company told the paper the switch will reduce paper use, "free up hundreds of hours" for employees, and that most price updates will hit on Wednesdays, with occasional Monday changes, to sync with weekly ads. The system is also expected to bring features such as shelf alerts for pickup items, automated deal-loading into the Kroger app, and more precise product-location information on store maps.
How the labels work and what to expect
Electronic shelf labels are e-paper displays tied into a central system that lets a chain update thousands of prices in minutes instead of printing and swapping paper tags by hand. Retailers say the technology cuts down on register mismatches, speeds up markdowns, and lets staff spend more time with customers instead of wrestling with sticker guns. At the same time, recent rollouts at Walmart and Kroger have alarmed some unions and lawmakers who warn about so-called "surveillance pricing" and the possibility of real-time adjustments. Industry coverage has framed the shift as both an efficiency tool and a policy headache, according to Grocery Dive.
Kroger's denials on privacy and pricing
Kroger has tried to tamp down worst-case scenarios, telling reporters that its digital tags are not equipped with facial-recognition technology and that it is not using the system to "surge" prices for individual shoppers. In a statement to The Columbus Dispatch, the company said its electronic labels are not connected to facial-recognition tools and that it "does not engage in surge pricing." Kroger says the main goals are better price accuracy, quicker promotions, and less paper waste.
Unions and lawmakers want guardrails
The United Food and Commercial Workers union has launched a national campaign to ban what it calls "surveillance pricing" and is backing federal and state proposals that would restrict or prohibit electronic shelf labels in large stores. The UFCW and allied lawmakers have promoted measures such as the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act, which is aimed at curbing surveillance-based pricing and requiring disclosure of any facial-recognition use, according to UFCW.
What researchers found
Concerns about runaway price changes are not universal. A multi-university study summarized by The Associated Press tracked prices from 2019 through 2024 and found "virtually no surge pricing" after electronic shelf labels were installed, detecting only a tiny uptick in temporary price increases. Economists noted that grocers have strong incentives to keep regular prices relatively stable because shoppers notice frequent changes, and that most electronic label use has focused on markdowns, inventory management, and faster promotional updates.
For Columbus shoppers, the shift will roll out in stages over the next year and a half, with more aisles gradually lighting up with new screens and weekly-ad prices updating most weeks. If a shelf price does not match what shows up on your receipt, the usual advice still applies: track down an employee before you pay. The company says the technology is meant to cut errors and speed service, even as the political fight over digital price tags continues in statehouses and on Capitol Hill.
