The FTC and 20 states filed a lawsuit claiming Dollar General customers pay more at the register than the posted prices.

The Federal Trade Commission and 20 states filed a lawsuit against Dollar General Corp. on Oct. 26, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

The lawsuit claims the discount chain charged shoppers more at the register than the prices posted on its shelves and in its ads.

Evidence cited in the lawsuit

Internal records cited in the complaint show at least 29,265 customer complaints labeled "did not honor marked price" between January 2023 and March 2026 from every state where Dollar General operates.

FTC investigators say they paid more than the posted price during every undercover purchase they made at four stores in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Maryland between January and April 2026. On one Ohio trip, 13 of 58 items allegedly rang up at a different price than the shelf showed.

Utah inspectors reportedly failed the chain on more than 45% of pricing checks while Missouri inspections cited problems in 92 of 147 cases over 18 months, according to the lawsuit.

Regulators trace the problem to how Dollar General updates prices. New prices take effect at the register right away, but employees have to print new shelf labels and put them up by hand, the filing claims. It says most price changes are increases so when a employees don't swap out the labels, shoppers pay more than the shelf shows. The complaint also claims Dollar General does not have enough staff to update the labels in a timely fashion and alleges the company doesn't check whether new labels actually reach the shelves.

The legal claims

Across 29 counts, the FTC claims Dollar General broke the FTC Act's ban on deceptive practices and violated the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act by using false prices to collect shoppers' card and bank information at checkout. Each state adds claims under its own consumer protection and weights-and-measures laws.

Federal and state officials seek a permanent order barring the practice, money for affected shoppers, civil penalties and the profits tied to the alleged overcharges.

Since 2019, Dollar General has settled seven pricing lawsuits with six states and paid more than $6 million in penalties. It has also faced eight class actions over pricing accuracy since 2022. new price tags to stay out of trouble, according to the complaint.

What the lawsuit means for Dollar General shoppers

Shoppers do not need to join the lawsuit because it is a government enforcement action rather than a class action. Participating states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.

As of this writing, there is no settlement, no claims process and no money available.