Story perspectives

FTC, 20 States Sue Dollar General Over Checkout Overcharges

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026 · How we work

Read the story

Story summary

Summary

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 20 states sued Dollar General for overcharging shoppers at checkout.
The complaint alleges prices exceeded shelf tags, ads and circulars from 2019 through 2026.
Regulators cite 29,265 consumer complaints filed between Jan. 1 2023 and Mar. 31 2026 in all 48 states.
FTC estimates the overcharges cost consumers millions of dollars, hitting low-income families hardest.
Dollar General settled six pricing lawsuits since 2019, paying more than $6 million in penalties.

History

In 1999 the FTC fined Kmart $2.5 million for inflating shelf prices, a move rooted in the agency’s unfairness doctrine first articulated in the 1972 Sperry & Hutchinson decision. The FTC’s 2009 consent decree against Sears-Kmart’s tracking software showed its willingness to enforce consumer-protective reforms, a precedent regulators cite in the current Dollar General lawsuit.

1 of 2

In 1999 the FTC fined Kmart $2.5 million for inflating shelf prices, a move rooted in the agency’s unfairness doctrine first articulated in the 1972 Sperry & Hutchinson decision. The FTC’s 2009 consent decree against Sears-Kmart’s tracking software showed its willingness to enforce consumer-protective reforms, a precedent regulators cite in the current Dollar General lawsuit.

1 / 2