(TNS) — Walmart recently announced that they have agreed to a $45 million settlement in a lawsuit that claimed that the retailer sold weighted groceries — things like meat and fruit — for more than the advertised price.
The settlement covers anyone who purchased weighted goods or bagged citrus in person at a Walmart store between Oct. 19, 2018, and Jan. 19, 2024, according to TopClassActions.com.
Weighted goods can be defined as variable-weight meat, poultry, pork and seafood products that have a price-embedded bar code and are considered part of Walmart’s Department 93 products You can see a complete list here.
Bagged citrus refers to oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and navel oranges sold in bulk in mesh or plastic bags. You can see that complete list over here.
The lawsuit alleged that the retail giant’s point-of-sale machines would deliberately raise the weight of these products when they were marked at a discounted price, putting the total higher than the discount. It also said that the company promoted bagged produce weights that exceeded the actual weight of the product, forcing customers to pay more.
It also said there was a discrepancy between the advertised per-pound price and the final price on weight products that had a reduced-price sticker.
Walmart denied any accusations of wrongdoing despite seeking to settle the lawsuit.
Once a court approves the settlement, customers who don’t have a receipt or proof of purchase but say they bought these products can still claim some money. If you bought 1-50 products, you will receive $10; if it was 51-75 products, you can get $15; 76-100 products will get $20; and people who claim they bought over 101 products will get $25.
Those who do have a receipt or proof of purchase, however, are entitled to receive 2% of the total cost of the weighted goods and bagged citrus items bought, with a cap of $500.
Claimants might be able to get a copy of their receipt on Walmart’s website.
The deadline for opting out of the settlement is May 22. An approval hearing is scheduled for June 12. The deadline for submitting any forms is June 5.
