FTC and 20 states sue Dollar General over pricing

The Federal Trade Commission and 20 states sued Dollar General, alleging the discount retailer repeatedly charged customers more at checkout than prices displayed on shelves, tags and advertisements. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Tennessee, claims the practices violated federal and state consumer-protection laws. Dollar General denies wrongdoing and says it will defend the case. The complaint alleges the pricing practices persisted from January 2019 through March 2026 and generated millions of dollars in overcharges. It cites at least 29,265 consumer complaints received from January 2023 through March 2026 across the 48 states where Dollar General operates. Those figures and allegations come from the plaintiffs’ complaint and have not been established by a court. The filing says investigators conducted undercover purchases at stores in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Maryland between January and April 2026. According to the complaint, every purchase involved multiple items priced above their advertised amounts. At a Cleveland store, 13 of 58 items rang up at different prices, resulting in a net overcharge of $3.25, the complaint says. At a Springfield, Missouri,...