FTC and 20 States Sue Dollar General for Alleged Overcharges

The Federal Trade Commission and 20 states sued Dollar General, alleging it repeatedly charged customers more at checkout than prices shown on shelves, tags, circulars and advertisements, generating millions of dollars in overcharges. The complaint says the alleged conduct affected thousands of stores from 2019 through March 2026, and that the company received more than 29,000 complaints about marked prices from January 2023 to March 2026 without adequately addressing the problem. FTC investigators reportedly found that every undercover purchase in a series of visits was charged above advertised prices for multiple items. The states allege the practices harmed consumers, including low- and fixed-income shoppers, and violated federal and state consumer-protection laws; they seek to stop the practices and obtain monetary relief and penalties. The complaint cites seven prior settlements in six states over pricing inaccuracies, totaling $6 million, including Ohio’s $1 million settlement in 2023, after which Ohio says the problems continued. Dollar General, which operates more than 21,000 U.S. stores, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.