Dollar General will pay a civil penalty in the form of $1.875 million in food and personal items through a settlement with the New York Office of Attorney General (OAG). According to Attorney General Letitia James, an investigation by OAG found that Dollar General routinely overcharged customers for items sold in stores. The items to be donated by the retail chain will go Foodlink, a nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and building healthier communities. James says her office began investigating after receiving a number of complaints alleging that the retail chain regularly charged customers more than the advertised price. The OAG reviewed more than 900 Weights and Measures inspection reports from Dollar General locations across the state and found that 43% of those reports documented price accuracy failures above 2% from 2021-2023. James adds that OAG conducted a secret shopper investigation, visiting 11 Dollar General locations in Western New York. Investigators found that they were overcharged for approximately 14% of the items they purchased. They also observed multiple instances in which prices advertised on shelf tags, digital and print ads, and digital coupons were inconsistent with prices at checkout. The investigation also revealed that Dollar General's receipts contained various confusing formats, forcing consumers to mathematically calculate the price paid for a particular product after applying promotions and discounts.
Photo by Greg Larson
