Walmart has reached a settlement with New Jersey, agreeing to pay $1.64 million to resolve allegations that the company violated the state’s laws on unit pricing. The attorney general’s office announced on Tuesday that inspections of Walmart’s 64 stores in New Jersey revealed discrepancies in unit pricing for various grocery items and products.
New Jersey is among the states that mandate companies to display unit pricing using state-regulated measurements for a wide range of products, including food, coffee, and cleaning items. Unit pricing is crucial for consumers to compare prices accurately and determine the best value for their money, especially when products come in different sizes and quantities.
During the inspections, regulators found over 2,000 violations at Walmart stores, with unit prices reflecting different measurements within the same product categories. This lack of consistency in pricing made it challenging for shoppers to compare prices effectively.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin emphasized the importance of consumer information in making informed purchasing decisions amidst rising grocery prices. The attorney general’s office imposed a total of $226,950 in fines on Walmart for similar violations in 2021 and 2022, with the current civil penalty being the largest ever obtained by the Office of Weights and Measures.
Cari Fais, the acting director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, stated that the penalty serves as a warning to chain retailers about complying with the state’s pricing laws. In a similar case, Dollar General was fined $1.2 million for pricing discrepancies uncovered by New Jersey inspectors.
As part of the settlement, Walmart has committed to meeting unit pricing requirements, providing employee training, conducting internal pricing audits annually, and undergoing regular inspections to ensure compliance. The agreement aims to ensure transparency and fairness for consumers in Walmart stores across New Jersey.