Dollar General Disputes FTC Overcharging Allegations

The Federal Trade Commission, joined by 20 states, has sued Dollar General Corp. for engaging in what it described as “long-running deceptive pricing practices by routinely charging customers more at the register than the prices displayed on shelves, price tags and advertisements, costing consumers millions of dollars.”

In its response to the allegations, the discount retailer issued a statement that included the statement, “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

According to the FTC complaint:

• Thousands of Dollar General stores have taken advantage of vulnerable shoppers by extracting millions of dollars in unlawful overcharges with insufficient safeguards to prevent the practice.
• Dollar General received tens of thousands of complaints from consumers across the country who say the company did not honor the advertised price, demonstrating widespread consumer harm and confirming that customers nationwide have been charged more than the advertised price.
• Dollar General knows that it harms consumers by charging more at the register than the prices it advertises, as reflected by the numerous complaints it has received.

Dollar General’s response, in part, noted:

• “Our goal is 100% accuracy between shelf and register prices in every store. As with other retailers and despite our policies and procedures, occasional price discrepancies can occur. When that happens, our store teams are instructed, empowered, and expected to make things right for the customer. In recent years, we have enhanced our price-accuracy processes and remain committed to continuous improvement.
• “Dollar General was made aware of the FTC’s investigation in early February 2026, through the receipt of a civil investigative demand dated January 30, 2026. Despite an unusually accelerated timeline and request for voluminous information, we have engaged cooperatively with the Commission, producing more than 200,000 documents and over 350 gigabytes of data and making several Company representatives available to provide sworn testimony on relatively short notice.
• “We were surprised when, rather than responding to our monetary counteroffer and allowing the negotiating process to continue, the FTC filed this lawsuit and for the first time made the Company aware that 20 states had chosen to join.
• “Although we respect the FTC’s role in protecting American consumers and the State representatives’ role in protecting the citizens of their respective states, we will defend this litigation vigorously.
• “We remain ready and willing to engage in reasonable, meaningful discussions to resolve this matter while keeping our focus on what has always been at the heart of Dollar General – serving our customers and the communities we call home. That commitment has not changed and will not change as we navigate this matter.”

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. (Dollar General, which has nearly 21,000 stores in 48 states, is based in Goodlettsville, Tenn., which is on the far north side of Nashville.) It was not immediately known when the case will proceed.