Shopped at Walmart in the Past 6 Years? You May Be Owed Money

Many people shop at Walmart regularly for the savings involved. The big-box giant is known for its competitive prices on a wide range of products, including household essentials and groceries.

But some grocery shoppers may be entitled to compensation from Walmart due to a recent settlement. So it pays to see if you're eligible for some sort of payday.

The details surrounding the Walmart settlement

Walmart was sued on the basis of overcharging customers for products that were sold by weight. The suit claims that Walmart falsely inflated the price of certain items or mislabeled the weight of bagged citrus products by listing the weight as higher than the actual weight.

As a result, Walmart has reached a settlement to pay $45 million to customers affected by its practices. If you're someone who purchased items sold on a per-weight basis or bagged citrus products at a Walmart location in the U.S. or Puerto Rico between Oct, 19, 2018 and January 19, 2024, you may be eligible for a cash payment, the amount of which will depend on what you bought.

You may be entitled to:

• $10 in compensation if you don't have a receipt, but you can attest to having bought up to 50 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus during the aforementioned period
• $15 in compensation without a receipt or other proof of purchase, but you can attest to having purchased 51 to 75 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus products
• $20 in compensation without a receipt or proof of purchase, but you can attest to having purchased 76 to 100 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus
• $25 without a receipt, but you can attest to buying 101 or more weighted goods and/or bagged citrus.
• Up to $500 with receipts or other proof of purchase of each weighted good and/or bagged citrus (you'll receive 2% of the total cost of these goods with a $500 cap)

How to get your piece of the action

If you shopped at Walmart between Oct. 19, 2018 and Jan. 19, 2024, then it pays to see if you're eligible for compensation. It's doubtful you'd have receipts from Walmart dating back to 2018. Heck, you may not even have receipts from this past January if you're not someone who keeps them on hand for tracking or budgeting purposes. However, you can try to look up previous purchases on Walmart's website.

Meanwhile, you can file a claim online to get your cut of the Walmart settlement. But do note that you only have until June 5 to do so.

Doing the legwork to check on your Walmart spending may be a bit of a hassle. But if you're someone who's been struggling to save money, then it could be well worth the effort if it puts a bit of extra cash into your pocket.

Meanwhile, it's a good idea to be vigilant when you're shopping for groceries, since mistakes can happen. If you're buying bagged produce that you pay for by weight, find a scale in the produce area to confirm that the weight printed on the label matches the actual weight of the products. If not, find a store manager to assist.

Also, pay attention to whether you're being charged on a per-weight or per-unit basis. Things can get muddled in the produce department in particular, but it's important to know if you're paying $0.49 for a single banana versus $0.49 per pound of bananas.

Finally, always check your receipts before leaving the supermarket, whether you're doing self-checkout or getting help from a cashier. You never know when a given item might accidentally get rung up twice, and you don't want the extra charge on your credit card. And you also don't want to be charged $3.99 a pound for organic apples when you purchase the non-organic ones costing $1.99 a pound to save money.