The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), together with 20 states, has sued the discount chain Dollar General, accusing it of misleading consumers about product prices for many years. According to the regulator, customers regularly paid more at the register than shelf labels and advertisements indicated. The lawsuit against the company, which operates about 21,000 stores in the United States, was filed in federal district court in Tennessee.
In the 95-page complaint, the FTC alleges that Dollar General failed to fix the problem even though management knew about the irregularities. According to the agency, one cause was staff shortages, which made it harder for employees to update price labels. The filings cite, among other things, an account from a former assistant store manager in Illinois, who said she often worked alone for most of her shift.
Investigators also presented the court with complaints from customers whom employees allegedly refused to give corrections on overcharges. In November 2025, a customer in Florida reported being charged $2.50 for Johnson & Johnson shampoo even though the shelf price was $2. According to the lawsuit, an employee told her she could pay the higher amount or give up the purchase. In another instance, a customer in Texas who questioned the difference between the advertised price and the price charged at the register was allegedly told that the cashier had to charge the higher amount to „avoid trouble.”
Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the chain’s actions violated the trust of millions of customers and caused financial losses, especially painful for low-income people.
Dollar General rejected the allegations in a statement published on its website.
“Our goal is complete, 100 percent consistency between shelf prices and register prices in every store. As with other retailers, despite the policies and procedures we have in place, occasional price discrepancies may occur. In such situations, our store staff are properly trained, empowered and required to take action to fix the problem in the customer’s favor. In recent years we have improved our price-accuracy processes, and we are constantly striving to improve them further,” said the company, which is headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
The federal lawsuit came a week after Dollar General reached a settlement with the state of New York in a similar case. On Oct. 15, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced an agreement worth $1.87 million. The state investigation concerned charging customers more than the advertised prices, as well as illegible receipts.
Ed. JŁ
Source: Nowy Dziennik
