If you’re one of the hundreds of millions who shop at Walmart every week, you may be entitled to a rather large chunk of money following the results of a $45 million class-action settlement. Here are the details.
Walmart’s $45 Million Settlement
Any Walmart customers who bought certain types of food from any of their 10,000 stores might be entitled to up to $500 as part of a settlement by the shopping giant.
Deadline for Filing Claims Approaches
Any shoppers who think they might be in with a win have two months left to file a claim in the suit, which alleges that Walmart overcharged customers by “falsely inflating product weight” on a number of items.
Potential Payouts
Any customers who bought bagged produce like citrus fruits, seafoods or meat – also known as “weighted goods” – at a Walmart in the U.S. or Puerto Rico from October 19th 2018, to January 19th 2024 could be on the way to receiving a cash payout.
Allegations Against Walmart
The lawsuit against the retail chain was filed in 2022 and alleges that Walmart took part in “deceptive conduct” to trick customers into paying more than advertised for weighted goods and goods sold under “rollback” – essentially their discount items.
Understanding the Lawsuit
“Walmart utilizes Price Stickers to advertise to Customers the Sold-by-Weight Products’ unit price,” the court filing explains.
How Customers Were Misled
“It is reasonable and expected for Plaintiff and Customers to rely on, and reasonable to expect that they will pay, the lowest advertised price on a Price Sticker and/or Rollback sticker” however “at the register, when the Customer checks-out, Walmart’s Point of Sale system deceptively, systemically and artificially increases the weight of the product at checkout, resulting in the Customer paying an inflated price.”
Weighted Goods Scandal
So instead of purchasing a product at a reduction, customers were misled and ended up paying an inflated price.
Bagged Produce and Rollback Items
The court filing also accused Walmart of two more things: firstly, mislabeling the weight of bagged produce, such as organic oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and navel oranges – the type you see sold in bulk in mesh or plastic bags.
Paying More Than Advertised
The price stickers on these products allegedly falsely represent a higher weight than what is actually in the bags, leading customers to pay more per ounce than advertised.
Yellow Sticker Clearance
Secondly, it takes aim at Walmart’s yellow sticker clearance products. These yellow stickers are for items close to expiry or put on sale due to overstock and show the date of the price reduction, the advertised price per pound/ounce, the amount saved, and the “You Pay!” price.
The Pricing Didn’t Add Up
However, calculations allegedly show that multiplying the product’s weight by the advertised price per pound does not match the “You Pay!” price. So as a result, customers end up being charged a higher amount at the register than what was advertised on the yellow sticker.
Denials and Settlement Agreement
Walmart has denied all these allegations, however, they agreed to pay the $45 million settlement to customers.
Walmart’s Response
In an interview with CNN a spokesperson said, “We will continue providing our customers everyday low prices to help them save money on the products they want and need. We still deny the allegations, however we believe a settlement is in the best interest of both parties.”
What It Means for Customers
So, if you’re one of the many who bought bagged or weighted goods from Walmart, as long as you purchased goods in a Walmart store, Supercenter, or neighborhood market in the U.S. or Puerto Rico, you can apply for a cash payout.
Filing a Claim
Here’s a quick rundown:
(i) If you don’t have receipts or proof of purchase, you can get $10 if you attest to buying up to 50 weighted goods or bagged citrus in person.
What You Could Receive
(ii) For purchases of 51 to 75 weighted goods or bagged citrus at Walmart during the Settlement Class Period without receipts, you can get $15.
(iii) If you bought 76 to 100 weighted goods or bagged citrus at Walmart during the Settlement Class Period without receipts, you can get $20.
No Receipt? No Problem
(iv) Purchases of 101 or more weighted goods or bagged citrus at Walmart during the Settlement Class Period without receipts qualify for $25.
Proof of Purchase
(v) If you have receipts or proof of purchase for your Walmart purchases during the Settlement Class Period, you can receive 2% of the total cost of those purchases, up to $500. You may be able to get copies of your receipts from Walmart’s website if needed.
How to Submit Your Claim
Claims must be filed by June 5th, either online or via mail.
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The content of this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute or replace professional financial advice.
