Senate to Vote on Bill Protecting Local Businesses from Long-Unchanged Unit Pricing Threshold

Senate to Vote on Bill Protecting Local Businesses from Long-Unchanged Unit Pricing Threshold 

Ways and Means Committee Backs Legislation Ahead of Thursday Debate 

 

(BOSTON—2/23/2026) The Senate Committee on Ways and Means advanced legislation today to support neighborhood markets, bodegas, convenience stores, and family-owned grocery shops across Massachusetts by ensuring that smaller establishments will continue to be covered by an exemption from unit pricing. 

 

The full Senate plans to debate the bill—S.2965, An Act updating the unit pricing exemption threshold—during a formal session on Thursday, February 26, 2026. 

 

The legislation amends the statewide unit price exemption by removing sales of Lottery products and gift cards from the calculation of whether a store meets the threshold. 

 

Currently, establishments are not required to include a unit price on items if they generate less than $5 million in in-store sales each year, including sales of Lottery products and gift cards. That threshold is more easily exceeded now due to inflation, higher-value Lottery products, and increased popularity of pre-paid gift cards. 

 

While unit pricing can provide a useful price-comparison tool for shoppers at grocery stores and big box stores, it could pose a burden for smaller corner stores and convenience stores where unit price shopping is unlikely to occur. For this reason, Massachusetts created an exemption from unit price display requirements for retail stores with lower sales volumes. 

 

A version of the legislation was reported favorably on November 5, 2025 by the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure after an opportunity for public input at a hearing held October 1, 2025. The bill was originally filed by Senator Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury). 

 

The Senate Ways and Means Committee also voted today to advance bills dealing with specific parcels of land in Cambridge (S.2966), Revere (S.2967), Milton (S.2968), Stoneham (H.4643), and Brockton (H.4768). 

 

The bills will be debated in the same session as the BRIGHT Act, which the Ways and Means Committee reported to the full Senate last week.  

  

All committee votes are publicly posted on the Legislature’s website. Details of legislation up for consideration by the Senate are included in fact sheets available in the Senate press room.