Walmart shoppers could receive $500 as part of a settlement: How to file a claim
Walmart shoppers could be adding a little more cash to their wallets.
The retailer could owe customers up to $500 as part of a new class-action lawsuit settlement.
Those who purchased weighted goods or bagged citrus between October 2018 and January 2024 could be eligible to receive a check.
According to the lawsuit, Walmart customers “paid more than the lowest in-store advertised price” on the following products:
- Certain sold-by-weight meat, poultry, pork, and seafood products (referred to as “Weighted Goods”)
- Certain organic oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and navel oranges sold in bulk in mesh or plastic bags (referred to as “Bagged Citrus”)
The complaint claims that Walmart customers have been “subjected to the following three systemic unfair and deceptive business practices”:
- Falsely Inflating Product Weight: Walmart’s point-of-sale system “deceptively, systemically and artificially” increases the weight of the sold-by-weight products at checkout.
- Mislabeling Weight of Bagged Produce: Walmart uses price stickers to sell bagged produce in bulk. However, the retailer uses a price sticker that is “false, misleading and deceptive,” advertising a weight that is more than the actual weight of the product.
- Overcharging of Sold-by-Weight Clearance Products: Walmart advertises sold-by-weight products on clearance using a yellow sticker that denotes the price the customer saves and the price they will pay. However, when customers multiply the product’s weight by the advertised per-pound sale price, the cost comes out to materially lower than the price charged.
Walmart has denied these allegations and denied that it did anything wrong, the settlement states.
“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,” a spokesperson for the company told TODAY.com in a statement.
Walmart agreed to pay $45 million to customers, with some receiving up to $500.
Any customer who purchased weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in-store at a Walmart retail store, supercenter, or neighborhood market in the United States or Puerto Rico between Oct. 19, 2018, and Jan. 19, 2024, could be eligible.
According to the settlement FAQ website, the amount one will receive from the settlement depends on the number of people who submit valid claim forms since “all amounts are subject to a potential pro-rata increase or decrease and to a supplemental distribution.”
Payouts will be given in the following payment amounts based on the following circumstances:
- $10: If you do not have proof of purchase but attest to purchasing up to 50 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in-person during the Settlement Class Period.
- $15: If you do not have proof of purchase but attest to purchasing 51-75 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in-person during the Settlement Class Period.
- $20: If you do proof of purchase but attest to purchasing 76-100 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in-person during the Settlement Class Period.
- $25: If you do proof of purchase but attest to purchasing 101+ weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in-person during the Settlement Class Period.
- Up to $500: If you have proof of purchase for each weighted good and/or bagged citrus that you bought in-person during the Settlement Class Period and the amount paid for each, you are entitled to receive 2% of the total cost purchased, capped at $500.
If you don’t have physical receipts, they may be available by accessing your account on Walmart’s website.
If you are eligible for a payout, your claim must be submitted online or postmarked if mailed no later than June 5, 2024.
Payouts will be sent through Venmo, Zelle, ACH or a virtual pre-paid MasterCard. If a paper check is preferred — or if you are unable to receive electronic payment — you can request one.
