Lately, it seems West is
quietly lowering prices on some items

I'm seeing the opposite! I always note the price on the shelf, as often
the register price is higher. I see prices going up on just about
everything. Something $8 on the shelf is $10 at the register. $25
becomes $27, and so on. This may not be true at highest levels, like the
kind of electronics they have in their glossy ads, but for the under
$100 stuff, that is not in sales ads, is definitely happening.