12 On Your Side: Gas prices, Walmart lawsuit, cinnamon recall and a golden opportunity

File: 12 On Your Side

Have you noticed all of the beautiful bluebonnets blooming along the roads? (That was a lot of alliteration!) They just scream springtime in Texas.

Here’s a bit of what’s up in consumer world. Gas prices, for one. The average is $2.97 today. And, just like they do every spring, they’ll keep climbing until about Memorial Day.

Walmart grocery shoppers, you’ll want to check this story out. The mega-discounter settled a class-action lawsuit that claimed Walmart overcharged people for nearly six years on some weighted products like packaged meats and bags of citrus.

The upshot is, if you qualify, you can file a claim for some cash. The max payout is $500, but that is only if you have receipts — which most people probably don’t. Still, without receipts, you can still file a claim, you just won’t get nearly as much.

Dollar Tree announced it will be closing nearly 1,000 Family Dollar stores nationwide. There’s no word on which, if any, local stores are on the closure list.

If you shop at Dollar Tree or Family Dollar, check your ground cinnamon. Some cinnamon sold there is among those that may contain excessive amounts of lead. That’s especially toxic for little kiddoes. You can see that story here.

Finally, if you have some broken gold jewelry or a single gold earring that’s missing its match, now can be an opportune time to sell it. The price of pure gold has soared to more than $2100 an ounce. Of course, 14K gold wouldn’t fetch that much.

If you want to sell, my advice is to shop around and get offers from at least three gold buyers. See how much I was offered for a few pieces in this story.

Have a great weekend. Hopefully, you’ll get a little rain and can enjoy the bluebonnets.

Get more consumer news on KSAT.


About the Author

Marilyn Moritz is an award-winning journalist dedicated to digging up information that can make people’s lives a little bit better. As KSAT’S 12 On Your Side Consumer reporter, she focuses on exposing scams and dangerous products and helping people save money.

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