Walmart’s sales and advertising practices have come under criticism as consumers take issue with the way the mega retailer employs Walmart Rollbacks clearance pricing.

Walmart Rollbacks clearance pricing has caught the attention of consumers who believe that the pricing strategy is false and deceptive in nature. The supposed idea behind the strategy of calling these Walmart Rollbacks clearance items is to offer items at a previous price that it may have been offered in the past. The previous prices are supposed to be lower than their current pricing.

While Walmart Rollbacks clearance items are not necessarily going to be discontinued, the idea is that the pricing is significantly lower than it was previously offered. This might be on items with overstock, or it might be used on items that have not sold well, and by advertising the item with prominent Walmart Rollbacks clearance pricing, the hope is to entice consumers to purchase the item. Many times, Walmart Rollbacks clearance items are prominently displayed with signage on endcaps of the aisles.

One consumer decided to take matters into her own hands and has taken legal action against Walmart, accusing the company of using false original prices displayed on advertising to entice consumers into making purchases under the mistaken impression that they’re getting a better deal than they really are.

Plaintiff Brenna Ceja filed a class action lawsuit against Walmart in April of this year, stating that the company uses false and deceptive advertising with Walmart Rollbacks clearance advertisements because the original prices were not genuine.

Ceja included photographs of various tags and signs for Walmart Rollbacks clearance pricing, stating that the advertised original prices on Rollback items are not the real original prices. She states that on many tags, the original price was inflated, making the Rollback price seem like a good deal compared to the fake original price.

“Such pricing comparisons were false and deceptive because the marketed, advertised, warranted, represent former or ‘was’ price were fabricated and did not represent Wal-Mart’s true former, usual or original retail prices for the purportedly discounted items,” the Walmart class action lawsuit states.

Not only do consumers expect that retailers are honest in their pricing, but the law also requires companies to engage in practices that are truthful and avoid false and misleading advertising intended to purposely deceive customers. The Federal Trade Commission sets nationwide guidance to retailers on deceptive sale pricing, and state laws surrounding consumer protection echo the sentiments of federal law and may have even stricter guidelines in place.

In California, where Ceja filed her proposed class action lawsuit, the state has outlined pricing practices to retailers stating that before an item goes on sale, it must be at its original price that is the prevailing market price for the three months prior to the advertised sale. If the item was at the original price at three months preceding the sale, the advertisement is required to list specific date when the original list price was in effect.

The Walmart “Rollback” Fake Sale Class Action Lawsuit is Brenna Ceja v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Case No. 2:17-at-00427, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

Have You Purchased Walmart Rollbacks Clearance Items?

If you have purchased Walmart Rollbacks clearance items believing the “original” and “sale” prices listed were true, you may be eligible to seek legal compensation as a victim of false advertising. A lawyer can provide you with a free case consultation to help you understand the legal options available to you as you seek to hold companies accountable to ethical behavior.

Join a Walmart ‘Rollback’ Sale Pricing Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you shop at Walmart and you purchased products that are part of a “Rollback” sale, you may qualify to join this Walmart class action lawsuit investigation.

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