61 percent of New Jerseyans are concerned that electronic shelf labels will cause grocery prices to increase
65 percent of New Jerseyans are in favor of banning this technology in grocery stores, with strong support across party lines
TRENTON, N.J. – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 152, 312, 360, 464A, 888, 1262, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), and RWDSU Local 108 released a poll from GBAO Strategies that shows overwhelming bipartisan support among New Jerseyans for banning electronic shelf labels (ESLs) and surveillance pricing in grocery stores. This technology enables corporations to exploit shoppers’ personal data to set individualized prices that can change in the blink of an eye. This comes as Garden State lawmakers, led by Senator Joseph Cryan (D-20) and Assemblyman Chigozie Onyema (D-28), consider legislation to ban these practices and technologies.
Presidents of UFCW Locals 152, 312, 360, 464A, 888, 1262, the RWDSU, and RWDSU Local 108, which represents grocery retail workers in New Jersey, said:
“UFCW members see the impact sky-high grocery prices have on working families every day – they feel it as well when they shop. And with electronic shelf labels, prices can change in an instant, making budgets nearly impossible to stick to.
“This poll confirms that the majority of New Jerseyans support a ban on this technology and expect their elected officials to act. We’re proud to support the lawmakers pushing to protect consumers and workers in New Jersey.”
UFCW International Vice President Ademola Oyefeso said:
“Electronic shelf labels enable large corporations to use shoppers’ personal data to squeeze them for every last dollar. Amid persistent high inflation, the last thing families need is for grocery prices to rise even higher.
“New Jersey has a chance to get ahead of this predatory practice before it becomes common practice. The UFCW applauds the lawmakers who are standing up for consumers and workers against this corporate exploitation and urges them to pass this legislation before the session’s end.”
New Jersey is among 12 states to have joined the UFCW’s “Affordable Groceries and Good Jobs Campaign” to ban the predatory practice of surveillance pricing, target the encroachment of AI-driven technology in grocery stores, and deliver fair prices for families while preserving good, union grocery jobs.
Email press@ufcw.org to speak with a spokesperson about the threat that ESLs and surveillance pricing pose to fair grocery prices and good, union jobs. The polling memo is available here.
BACKGROUND
- The poll finds that 61 percent of New Jersey voters think ESLs and 67 percent think surveillance pricing will cause grocery prices to increase.
- Support for proposed legislation in the state cuts across party lines, with 65 percent in favor of banning this technology in grocery stores.
- Retailers cannot be trusted to do the right thing, with 67 percent of respondents saying they don’t trust grocery stores to use the technology responsibly.
- More than 75 percent of New Jerseyans have a negative view of the U.S. economy, with 73 percent worried about the cost of groceries for their household and 70 percent expecting the amount they spend on groceries to increase in the next year.
- ESLs enable retailers to change prices instantaneously, and corporations are racing to deploy them. Walmart, for example, plans to replace traditional paper price tags with digital ones across all of its stores by the end of 2026. The corporation also recently secured patents to use shoppers’ personal data to update prices at scale.
- ESLs also threaten the livelihoods of grocery workers. These systems could replace the skilled work of grocery clerks or, at the very least, leave them to explain a company’s actions to rightfully angry shoppers. The UFCW represents more than 800,000 grocery workers across North America. UFCW members are essential to keeping our communities fed, and they know how disruptive ESLs could be for workers and shoppers alike.
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The UFCW International is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.2 million workers and their families in grocery, meatpacking, food processing, health care, cannabis, retail, and other essential industries. UFCW members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more information, please visit our website at www.rwdsu.org, Facebook:/RWDSU.UFCW, Twitter:@RWDSU.
CONTACT: Finn Storer press@ufcw.org