Florida joins 20 states suing Dollar General for checkout price gaps

Tallahassee, Fla. The Federal Trade Commission and 20 states, including Florida, filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday. The complaint targets Dollar General Corporation. Officials accuse the retailer of routinely charging customers higher prices at checkout than those displayed on store shelves and in advertisements.

The coalition argues that Dollar General engaged in deceptive pricing schemes that lasted for a long period. The states contend these practices cost shoppers millions of dollars. The complaint names the company as operating more than 21,000 stores across the United States. Regulators state that corporate leadership knew about the pricing errors but failed to correct them.

Florida is one of 20 states joining the federal lawsuit. The other plaintiffs include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. The group focuses on the impact of the errors on low and fixed-income shoppers who depend on accurate shelf pricing to manage their budgets.

Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the retailer betrayed the trust of millions of consumers. He stated that the company imposed financial harm on communities already struggling to make paychecks last. Mufarrige noted that the action shows the agency’s commitment to lowering costs by stopping deceptive pricing practices. The FTC authorized the complaint in a 2-0 vote before filing it.

The court documents do not list a specific total dollar amount for the overall financial damage. They state only that millions of dollars were extracted from shoppers nationwide. Dollar General received tens of thousands of complaints from customers who were charged more than the advertised tag price. The case is now pending in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Regulators allege the practices violate the FTC Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and multiple state laws. The documents do not specify a date for the first hearing on the matter. The court will decide the case following the formal complaint.