From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Israel considering proposal to replace price tags with digital labels in supermarkets, retailers
Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel.
Israel is considering replacing paper-and-ink price tags or stickers with digital or electronic labels to mark the cost of products in the aisles of supermarkets and retailers.
The proposal to digitize the display of prices spearheaded by Economy Minister Nir Barkat has been published for public comment by the Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority.
After reviewing the 600 comments received from the public last month, the authority is poised to decide in the coming weeks whether to advance a draft bill to change the current law mandating retailers to mark all products with physical price tags. The removal of the law is required to allow for the transition to digital price displays.
The Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority says that the way prices are presented in Israel involves considerable labor costs since it is a time-consuming task that involves making printed labels and putting them in place, often inaccurate.
The authority says it is examining various digital price tagging options that would require installing smart stationary aids in branches, smart carts, or mobile scanners to allow for price checking. Digital price tags would be displayed on the shelf below the item, or digital stickers would be attached to the product itself.
However, opponents of the switch to digital price tags are raising concerns that the smart technology will give retailers the ability to quickly raise the price of a product, and will make it harder for consumers to compare prices while curtailing competition.
