Attorney General Mayes, FTC Sue Dollar General Corporation for Charging Consumers More than Advertised for Many Products

PHOENIX—Attorney General Mayes today joined the Federal Trade Commission and 19 other states suing Dollar General Corporation for engaging in 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.

The complaint alleges that Dollar General has, for years, repeatedly mislabeled prices, overcharged consumers and failed to correct the issue despite extensive corporate knowledge of the problem.

"Dollar General has ripped off Arizonans by systematically charging more for products than they advertised," said Attorney General Mayes. "The Arizona Attorney General's Office will not allow greedy corporations to lie to their customers and take financial advantage of communities who can least afford it." 

Dollar General operates more than 21,000 stores nationwide, including several in Arizona. The company markets itself as a low-priced alternative to large discount and big-box retailers. The company sells thousands of household items at low prices, which are critical to its low- and fixed-income customers who depend on Dollar General’s pricing accuracy for basic financial stability.

According to the complaint:

• Thousands of Dollar General stores have taken advantage of vulnerable shoppers by extracting millions of dollars in unlawful overcharges while avoiding implementation of 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 consumer by charging more at the register than the prices it advertises, as reflected by the numerous complaints it has received.

Despite being made aware of the problem, Dollar General has failed to implement policies and practices to adequately address the problem.

The FTC and states allege these practices violate the FTC Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB Act) and state laws.

In filing today's complaint, Arizona joins the FTC and the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin. 

If you believe you or your child has been a victim of consumer fraud or unfair practices, you can file a consumer complaint by visiting the Attorney General’s website at www.azag.gov/consumer. If you need a complaint form sent to you, you may contact the Attorney General’s Office in Phoenix at (602) 542‑5763, in Tucson at (520) 628‑6648, or outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas at (800) 352‑8431.