US retailer Walmart has agreed a $1.64m settlement with New Jersey regulators over allegations of unlawful pricing practices at its 64 retail stores across the state.
The settlement, announced by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs, includes a $1.62m civil fine.
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This is the largest penalty issued by the division’s Office of Weights and Measures.
New Jersey mandates that grocery retailers display prices in standard units such as pounds and quarts to facilitate price comparison for consumers.
During inspections in early 2023, officials found more than 2,000 instances of incorrect measurements at Walmart stores, with products including coffee priced inconsistently by weight, can size or pod count.
Attorney General Matthew Platkinas said: “As the price of grocery items continues to rise, it’s more important than ever to ensure consumers have all the information they need — and are entitled to by law — to make educated decisions on how to spend their money.
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By GlobalData“The significant fine Walmart will pay as a result of this settlement sends a clear message that New Jersey will not allow retailers to engage in unlawful pricing practices that deny shoppers the ability to easily compare prices to figure out which product is a better buy.”
The retailer has committed to enhancing employee training and conducting random screenings to ensure proper pricing displays.
Walmart said in a statement: “We believe a settlement is in the best interest of all involved. We’ll always work to provide our customers everyday low prices they can count on.”
In November 2023, following a similar case, Dollar General agreed to a $1.2m settlement in New Jersey for allegedly scanning items at higher prices than advertised.
Walmart Canada has partnered with Disney+, Expedia, Spotify, Journie Rewards and Fig Financial to offer exclusive savings and special offers through the Walmart app’s Partner Offers hub. These will be available to existing and new app users who sign up for a free account.
In June 2024 Walmart announced its intention to replace paper shelf price labels with digital shelf labels across 2,300 stores by 2026.
