Walmart Charges California Consumers More at Checkout Than Advertised Shelf Prices, Class Action Claims

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A proposed class action alleges Walmart regularly charges California customers higher prices for merchandise at checkout than the prices initially displayed on store shelves.

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The 13-page lawsuit was filed by a California resident who says he went grocery shopping at a Napa County Walmart in July 2022 and was charged at checkout $3.48 for a loaf of Thomas’ Swirl Cinnamon Raisin Bread and $3.18 for a half gallon of Crystal two percent milk, even though the items were advertised on the shelf as $0.30 and $0.06 cheaper, respectively. The case contends that the plaintiff’s experience was not an isolated incident, as Walmart has overcharged shoppers at various locations throughout California’s largest metropolitan areas.

Per the complaint, transactions at Walmart stores in the Bay Area, San Diego County and Los Angeles County throughout September 2022 showed that some products were marked up a few cents, like a 20-ounce bottle of Coke Zero listed as $1.98 on the shelf but costing $2.08 at checkout. Other products came out to be almost two dollars more expensive after they were rung up, such as a six-pack of Hershey’s Chocolate bars that jumped from $3.98 to $5.88, the case contends.

According to the case, two out of 17 items purchased at an El Cajon location in September 2022 had prices that were higher at the register than what was initially advertised on shelves. Also that month, 25 percent of the items bought during a trip to a San Leandro location were overcharged for, the suit says.

According to the case, it is prohibited under California law for a retailer to charge consumers “an amount greater than the price, or to compute an amount greater than a true extension of a price per unit, that is then advertised, posted, marked, displayed, or quoted for that commodity.”

The lawsuit seeks to cover anyone in California who, within the past four years, purchased at least one item of merchandise from Walmart and was charged an amount greater than the price posted, marked, or displayed for the item.

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