Dollar General Agrees to Pay $1.55 Million Over Alleged Price Gouging in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has announced that Dollar General will pay $1.55 million to settle allegations of price gouging against the discount chain's customers in the state.
According to Sunday, Dollar General failed to accurately display prices at its Pennsylvania locations during 40% of inspections conducted between 2019 and 2023. The company allegedly charged customers higher prices at checkout than those advertised on store shelves, violating state consumer protection laws.
Despite admitting no wrongdoing, Dollar General has agreed to pay $1.55 million in penalties and investigative fees as part of the settlement. The company must also increase staff training and audits to ensure compliance with pricing accuracy standards.
Under the terms of the agreement, Dollar General will conduct at least two surprise pricing audits at its 900 locations in Pennsylvania each fiscal year. It will also run an enhanced assessment at locations that fail three or more audits within a 12-month period.
In addition, the company must maintain enough staff to update shelf tags weekly and correct any known or reported pricing inaccuracies within 24 hours. Customers will be informed of their right to request a price override where necessary, and stores must post a notice at cash registers stating that the lowest advertised price on an item will be honored.
"Our investigation found widespread and repeated instances of Pennsylvanians being overcharged at checkout – blatant deception of customers all over the Commonwealth," Sunday said. "We are hopeful the corporation takes this settlement very seriously as Pennsylvanians expect to pay the price that is on stickers and labels."
Consumers who suspect their local stores of price gouging can report them to the Bureau of Consumer Protection, which can be contacted online or by phone at 717-787-3391.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has announced that Dollar General will pay $1.55 million to settle allegations of price gouging against the discount chain's customers in the state.
According to Sunday, Dollar General failed to accurately display prices at its Pennsylvania locations during 40% of inspections conducted between 2019 and 2023. The company allegedly charged customers higher prices at checkout than those advertised on store shelves, violating state consumer protection laws.
Despite admitting no wrongdoing, Dollar General has agreed to pay $1.55 million in penalties and investigative fees as part of the settlement. The company must also increase staff training and audits to ensure compliance with pricing accuracy standards.
Under the terms of the agreement, Dollar General will conduct at least two surprise pricing audits at its 900 locations in Pennsylvania each fiscal year. It will also run an enhanced assessment at locations that fail three or more audits within a 12-month period.
In addition, the company must maintain enough staff to update shelf tags weekly and correct any known or reported pricing inaccuracies within 24 hours. Customers will be informed of their right to request a price override where necessary, and stores must post a notice at cash registers stating that the lowest advertised price on an item will be honored.
"Our investigation found widespread and repeated instances of Pennsylvanians being overcharged at checkout – blatant deception of customers all over the Commonwealth," Sunday said. "We are hopeful the corporation takes this settlement very seriously as Pennsylvanians expect to pay the price that is on stickers and labels."
Consumers who suspect their local stores of price gouging can report them to the Bureau of Consumer Protection, which can be contacted online or by phone at 717-787-3391.
. I mean, $1.55 million is a drop in the bucket for Dollar General, but still, it's better than nothing. The question is, what took them this long to get caught? 40% of inspections and they're just now paying up? It's like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop 
. And don't even get me started on their "staff training" 
. Two surprise audits a year isn't gonna cut it, in my opinion. They need a whole lot more than that to ensure compliance. I'm still not convinced this is just a slap on the wrist... 
1.55 million dollars may seem like a lot, but think of all the ppl who got taken advantage of... it's about time someone held them accountable 
I'm not surprised at all about Dollar General getting caught out on this one! They're always trying to lowball prices to get customers in the door and then hit 'em with the sticker shock 
It's kinda like that, but instead of selling fake stocks, Dollar General is just not being transparent about their prices 
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dollar general thought they could just slap on some stickers and call it a day? ain't nobody got time for that 
at least they're payin' up 1.55 million is somethin' i guess 
hope the training and audits help 'em get their act together 
. Now, I'm all for them increasing staff training and audits to ensure accuracy, but it's also super important for consumers to know their rights and report any suspicious pricing practices 
. My kids are already learning about consumer protection in school, so this settlement is a great reminder that they should be aware of these kinds of issues too 
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This whole thing kinda feels like a classic case of corporate negligence, you know? Dollar General's got some serious 'splainin' to do about how they managed to mess up their pricing for so long 
, you feel? I mean, overcharging customers and not displaying prices right is just basic customer service 101. It's crazy they were able to get away with it for so long 
I think its a good thing Dollar General agreed to pay out $1.55 million - it shows they're taking responsibility for their mistakes 
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. Anyway, I hope the settlement helps deter other companies from doing the same thing