Shoppers in Norway are used to seeing prices at the grocery store change in front of their eyes—and Americans may one day encounter similar shifting shelf labels.

This week, Jennifer Williams reports on the electronic shelf labels that are spreading at grocery chains in Europe and the U.S., enabling instant price drops—and raising fears of surge pricing.

On electronic labels that line the shelves at Reitan’s REMA 1000-branded grocery stores across Norway, the listed price for eggs or milk fades, the screen blinks and a new figure flashes up, all in a matter of seconds.

It is only a matter of time before Americans also see dynamic pricing on groceries, industry experts say. While the digital systems are expensive, companies say they can ultimately save time and money by decreasing the labor needed to print out and place new price stickers.

The prospect of dynamic pricing has raised alarms among U.S. lawmakers and consumers, who fear electronic labels in grocery stores will open the way for prices to go up as well as down.

Fears of surge pricing are likely overblown, says Ioannis Stamatopoulos, an associate professor who studies retail technology at the University of Texas at Austin’s business school. Still, many consumers hear “dynamic pricing” and think of the variable pricing they see when hailing an Uber, buying concert tickets or booking a flight.

More on this topic:

• 🎧 How robots are changing the grocery-delivery business. (Listen)
• In Brooklyn, robots are reshaping the grocery-delivery business. (Read)
• Chick-fil-A is using drones and “game film” to make fast food faster. (Read)

🤔 How do you feel about dynamic pricing in the grocery aisles? Send me your thoughts, questions and predictions by hitting "reply" to this email.

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Last week, we reported on food delivery robots and drones. Readers shared their thoughts on whether they’d order food that’s delivered by these machines:

• “Yes! I would definitely order food delivered by a robot. As a single woman living alone, I do not currently order food from delivery services where a human stranger will be coming to my door. It is simply a safety/security issue for me. (It is a sign of the times that I even need to think about such things!) However, I would be a frequent user of food delivery if a robot were to drop off my order at my front door or in my backyard. Sign me up!”—Jillian Jesse Connor, California
• “I live in a walk-up apartment in Queens. How is a robot going to ring my bell, climb the stairs, and leave my lunch at my apartment door?”—Barbara Levinson, New York
• “I would not order this type of delivery. Why? Because robot rage is real. I once worked for a food delivery app when our team decided to test robotic delivery. I’ve never been particularly violent, but the sight of this wannabe R2-D2 toting a bánh mì triggered something primal in me. ‘I want to kick this thing’s a—,’ escaped my mouth. When I looked up, horrified, my colleagues’ mouths hung open. The silence was broken only by our CMO’s thunderous laughter.”—Kim Romagnuolo, New York
• “Yes, I would definitely order food delivered by a robot—for multiple reasons. Firstly, I’d expect that a tip to a robot would not be necessary. Secondly, my house has a steep driveway, and delivery couriers often struggle to either drive down or walk down. Lastly, despite tipping well, I feel a sense of guilt when I order food to be delivered by a courier—it’s as if I am being lazy and another person has to do my task for me.”—Jonathan Henson, Alabama

(Responses have been condensed and edited.)

• A Catholic AI app promises answers. Can it succeed? (The Washington Post)
• The unnerving future of AI-fueled videogames. (The New York Times)
• A record-breaking baby has been born from an embryo that’s over 30 years old. (MIT Technology Review)

Thanks for reading The Future of Everything. We cover the innovation and tech transforming the way we live, work and play. This newsletter was written by Conor Grant. Get in touch with us at future@wsj.com.

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