Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that Walgreens will pay a settlement of $500,000 following an investigation into claims that the pharmacy retailer charged customers more at the register than prices were advertised on shelves – even after being told by state inspectors to correct the pricing inaccuracies. Between 2018 and 2024, state inspectors found 416 instances where Walgreens stores – and Rite Aid stores purchased buy Walgreens in 2018 – charged Vermont consumers more than the advertised shelf price, with overcharges ranging from 4 cents to $23.40.
To resolve violations of Vermont’s Consumer Protection Act, Walgreens has agreed to adhere to its pricing compliance policies and procedures and pay a settlement of $500,000, of which $25,000 will be directed to the Community Health Center of Burlington.
“Deceptive advertising harms consumers and the marketplace, and it will not be tolerated,” Attorney General Clark said. “This settlement holds Walgreens accountable and requires them to improve their practices moving forward, while also supporting the work of the Community Health Center of Burlington in providing affordable health services to Vermonters.”
Walgreens operates 22 retail and pharmacy stores across Vermont, selling a wide variety of grocery, household, and personal care products. Inspectors from the Agency of Agriculture’s Weights and Measures Program routinely visit Walgreens stores to ensure that the shelf prices match the prices charged at the register. During these visits, inspectors randomly check the shelf prices of 50-100 products and compare them to the register prices. If the price charged at the register exceeds the shelf price, it is considered an “overcharge error.”
Between 2018 and 2024, state inspectors found 416 overcharge errors at 60 different Walgreens and Rite Aid stores (Rite Aid was acquired by Walgreens in 2018). Of the 416 overcharge errors, the price charged at the register exceeded the shelf price by an amount ranging from $0.04 to $23.40 per item, with a median overcharge amount of $1.92.
Under the terms of the settlement, in addition to the $500,000 payment, Walgreens is required to maintain its pricing compliance policies and procedures, implemented in 2022, and report to the Attorney General any changes to its policies over the next three years. Walgreens must also correct and report overcharge errors of more than two percent of the products sampled at any one store.
A copy of the settlement filed with the court is available on our website. The Attorney General thanks the Agency of Agriculture’s Department of Weights and Measures Program for their investigation of the matter.
11.12.2025. MONTPELIER, Vt. – Attorney General
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