United Food and Commercial Workers International Union slams Walmart's big ESLs move

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) has hit out at Walmart’s plans to deploy digital shelf labels chainwide and called on US lawmakers to bring in legislation banning the technology.

“Walmart’s move to accelerate its roll-out of electronic shelf labels coincides with Congress and states considering legislation that would ban this technology and the predatory pricing practices that go along with it,” says Ademola Oyefeso, VP at UFCW International, which represents 1.2 million workers in the grocery, meatpacking, food-processing, health care, cannabis and retail industries, among others, in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. 

“No retailer should beat lawmakers to the punch and get to escape accountability for the harms these technologies will cause consumers and workers.”

After rolling out digital shelf labels to approximately 2,300 US locations, Walmart is set to deploy the technology estate wide within the next year.

In an online post, the retailer said: "Walmart stores carry tens of thousands of items, and every single one needs to have a clear, accurate shelf price. Between new inventory, Rollbacks and markdowns, pricing updates stack up fast and can take hours, if not days, to complete." 

"Before DSLs, that meant walking up and down aisles swapping out paper tags by hand. Now, associates manage planned price changes through a centralised Walmart system, making it easier to keep shelf prices accurate and aligned with what customers see at checkout."

"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. This builds customer trust."

However, according to Oyefeso, major retailers like Walmart see electronic shelf labels as “the next opportunity to squeeze consumers for every dime they have…With this technology, retailers will be able to hike prices in the shopping rush before a snowstorm or after school lets out. The concept of a fair price no longer exists with electronic shelf labels. And it is not only consumers who will suffer. Workers could see their hours cut or could have to explain price changes to confused shoppers.”

Legislation targeting ESLs has been introduced in some states and at the federal level.

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

ESLs will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.