Consumers who have purchased groceries from Walmart could be on the receiving end of up to $500 as part of the company’s latest settlement agreement.
The company recently came under fire for overcharging its customers for grocery items that are sold by weight – meat, poultry, fish, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit, for example.
The lawsuit alleged Walmart falsely inflated the weight of those types of items, mislabelled the weight of bagged produce and overcharged for sold-by-weight clearance products, thereby forcing customers to pay more for them than their lowest advertised price (“Rollback” prices).
Walmart denies the allegations and maintains that it has committed no wrongdoing. Nonetheless, it believes that “a settlement is in the best interest of both parties” and has agreed to a $45 million settlement.
Are you eligible?
To be eligible for a portion of Walmart’s $45 million settlement, consumers must have purchased specific sold-by-weight grocery items at any Walmart location in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between October 19, 2018, and January 19, 2024.
How much money you end up with will depend on if you have documentation of your purchases. Those who have held onto their receipts over the last few years are going to walk away with the most cash back.
For those who have proof of their purchases, the settlement will provide 2% of the total amount of eligible items purchased up to $500. If you don’t have your receipt, you can still get up to $25 back from the settlement depending on how much you’ve purchased from Walmart in the last six years. The breakdown looks like this:
$10 back for buying of up to 50 lbs. of eligible items
$15 back for buying between 51-75 lbs. of eligible items
$20 back for buying between 76-100 lbs. of eligible items
$25 back for buying over 100 lbs. of eligible items
How to file a claim
To get your portion of Walmart’s settlement, you’ll need to file a claim either online or by mail no later than June 5, 2024.
If you’re unsure if your purchases are eligible for a piece of the settlement, the official claims website has a section that breaks down all of the item codes for each item involved in the suit. Consumers can also use the search bar on the site to look for specific things.
The final hearing is scheduled for June 12, 2024, and anyone eligible for the settlement should expect to receive their payments after that.