- New Jersey AG Matthew Platkin reached a settlement with Walmart Inc. to resolve allegations that the retailer engaged in unlawful pricing practices at its New Jersey stores in violation of the state’s Consumer Fraud Act (“CFA”) and Unit Pricing Disclosure Act (“UPDA”).
- The consent order resolves allegations that Walmart used the incorrect unit pricing for grocery products in more than 2,000 instances, in violation of the UPDA’s requirements for grocery retailers to display the price of certain goods using a standard unit of measurement—such as quart, pound, or per 100 sheets—which is intended to make it easier for consumers to compare prices between products packaged in different sizes or quantities.
- According to the AG’s office, New Jersey is one of nine states with mandatory unit pricing laws, along with Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The alleged violations were identified through pricing inspections conducted by the AG’s office.
- Under the terms of the consent order, Walmart will pay $1.6 million in civil penalties and $25,000 in investigative costs and attorneys’ fees, and must provide unit pricing training to employees and conduct internal pricing audits, among other things.