If you regularly buy groceries from Walmart, chances are you've shelled out hundreds (if not thousands) to the mega-retailer. But now, Walmart might actually have to pay us. The company just agreed to settle a major class action lawsuit that accused Walmart of selling weighted groceries for more than their advertised prices. As a result, certain shoppers could be entitled to big payouts.
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Back in Oct. 2022, shopper Vassilios Kukorinisfiled a suit against Walmart, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. As the plaintiff for the case, Kukorinis alleged that the retailer used "unfair and deceptive business practices to deceivingly, misleadingly, and unjustly pilfer, to Walmart’s financial benefit, its customers' hard-earned grocery dollars."
Specifically, he claimed that Walmart was utilizing three deceptive practices to get customers to pay more than a product's lowest advertised per pound or ounce price. According to the lawsuit, this included falsely inflating product weights, mislabeling the weight of bagged produce, and overcharging sold-by-weight clearance products.
After years of litigation, both parties have agreed to a $45 million settlement, Top Class Actions reported on Feb. 27. While Walmart has not admitted to any fault, as part of the settlement, the retailer must pay those affected in order to resolve the claims.
Since this is a class action, Kukorinis is not the only one who can receive a payment. He was suing on behalf of anyone who may have been overcharged by Walmart for their groceries—and that could be you.
Shoppers who purchased weighted goods and bagged citrus at a Walmart store between Oct. 19, 2018, and Jan. 19, 2024, could be eligible for reimbursement. According to a website about the settlement, "weighted goods" includes any 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.
"At times, Department 93 Weighted Goods that are nearing their expiration dates may have been labelled with a yellow sticker that provided a discounted 'You Pay!' price," the website states.
"Bagged citrus," on the other hand, covers organic oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and navel oranges that were bulk-sold at Walmart stores in mesh or plastic bags. If you are not sure that your purchase counts, you can check the complete lists of descriptions and Universal Product Codes (UPCs) for the weighted goods and bagged citrus products that are included in the settlement.
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In order to receive a payment, you must submit a claim by June 5. Each eligible Walmart customer who is able to produce proof of purchase "will be entitled to receive 2 percent of the total cost of the substantiated weighted goods and bagged citrus products purchased," with the payout maxing out at $500 per person, according to the settlement website.
But if you do not have proof of purchase, you might still be able to get a smaller amount of money back, depending on how many affected products you purchased during the aforementioned timeline. Claimants who purchased up to 50 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus products in-person at a Walmart store will receive $10; those who purchased 51 to 75 products will receive $15; those who purchased 76 to 100 products will receive $20; and those who purchased 101 or more will receive $25.
"Payments will be made by electronic means, with the Approved Claimant having the option to elect to receive their cash payment through either Venmo, Zelle, ACH or virtual pre-paid MasterCard; but an Approved Claimant may request a paper check if they are unable to receive an electronic payment," the settlement website explains.
The final approval hearing for the settlement will be held on June 12. If approved, it could take several months before the claims are processed.
When Best Life reached out to Walmart about the class action settlement, a spokesperson for the company said that while they "still deny the allegations, [they] believe a settlement is in the best interest of both parties."
The Walmart spokesperson added, "We will continue providing our customers everyday low prices to help them save money on the products they want and need."
