BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Shoppers who bought weighted products at Walmart could be due as much as $500 as part of a $45 million class action lawsuit settlement by the mega retailer.
You need to move quickly, though, if you want to claim some money.The suit, initially filed in 2022 and then later amended, accused Walmart of overcharging customers for weighted goods and bagged citrus at Walmart stores between Oct. 19, 2018, and Jan. 19, 2024.
“Weighted goods refers to variable-weight meat, poultry, pork and seafood products labeled with a price-embedded bar code and designated by Walmart as part of its Department 93 products,” according to Top Class Actions, which tracks class action lawsuits. “Bagged citrus refers to organic oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and navel oranges that were sold in bulk in mesh or plastic bags.
The lawsuit said Walmart’s point-of-sale machines artificially raise the weights of the goods that were marked at a discounted “Rollback” price, causing the total price to be more than the advertised discount.
The retail chain also was accused of advertising and promoting bagged produce weights that were greater than the actual weight of the product, meaning customers paid more per ounce, Top Class Actions said. Sold-by-weight products on clearance with a reduced-price sticker also had a discrepancy between the advertised per-pound price and the final customer-paid price.
Walmart reached a settlement late last year to pay $45 million to customers, while denying any wrongdoing.
Shoppers can file a claim online or via mail, postmarked on or before June 5, 2024.
Walmart, in a statement to CNN, said it “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.”
The amount customers can qualify for varies depending on their circumstances, CNN said. They include:
- $10 without a receipt, but a shopper can attest to buying up to 50 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in-person in a Walmart store during the settlement class period.
- $15 without a receipt or other proof of purchase, but they can attest to buying from 51 up to 75 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus.
- $20 without receipts or proof of purchase, but they can attest to buying from 76 up to 100 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus.
- $25 without receipts or proof of purchase but attest to buying 101 or more weighted goods and/or bagged citrus.
- Up to $500 with receipts or other proof of purchase of each weighted goods and/or bagged citrus purchased in a Walmart store during the settlement class period, customers will receive 2% of “the total cost of the substantiated Weighted Goods and Bagged Citrus Purchased,” up to $500.
Customers can also try to look up their receipts on Walmart’s website.
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