Dollar General sued by FTC, U.S. states over alleged overcharging

The US Federal Trade Commission and 20 states filed a lawsuit against Dollar General Corp. on Monday, accusing the discount retailer of regularly charging customers more than the prices shown on shelves or in advertisements.

The complaint, filed in Tennessee federal court, alleges that Dollar General overcharged customers by millions of dollars between 2019 and March 2026, violating federal and state consumer protection laws. The retailer operates more than 21,000 stores across the country.

The pricing discrepancies resulted in nearly 30,000 consumer complaints to the company, showing "pervasive and systemic pricing inaccuracies," according to federal and state enforcers.

The complaint states that Dollar General failed to implement safeguards to prevent continued overcharging, "effectively shifting the burden of its own operational shortcomings onto the very communities and consumers who can least afford it."

Between 2019 and 2026, Dollar General entered into seven settlements in six different states related to inaccurate pricing, paying a total of $6 million in penalties, the complaint said.