Politics
Florida joins 20-state case over Dollar General shelf-price discrepancies
The FTC and 20 states allege Dollar General repeatedly charged shoppers more at checkout than prices displayed on shelves or in ads. Florida complaints cited in the lawsuit describe recurring discrepancies and a $2.50 shampoo charge for an item marked $2.
Florida has joined the Federal Trade Commission and 19 other states in a lawsuit alleging Dollar General charged customers more at checkout than prices posted on shelves or in advertisements, despite company awareness of the problem.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, accuses the discount retailer of long-running deceptive pricing practices. Dollar General operates about 21,000 stores nationwide.
The FTC says understaffing has made it harder for stores to keep register prices aligned with shelf labels. The lawsuit cites internal communications as evidence that company leaders knew about the issue, and includes examples of customers being denied price corrections.
Florida complaints described repeated discrepancies. In April 2025, one shopper said prices at the register had been higher than shelf or online-ad prices over the previous year. The customer reported checking more than 15 stores in the area and said employees told them they could not override the register price.
Another Florida complaint, filed in November 2025, concerned a bottle of Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo marked $2 on the shelf but rung up at $2.50. According to the complaint, the shopper was offered the choice of paying the higher price or leaving without the product.
The states joining the case are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.
FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Christopher Mufarrige said the alleged practices harmed consumers and communities already struggling to stretch their paychecks. The agency’s complaint also links pricing problems to staffing constraints, citing an account from a former Illinois assistant manager who said she often worked much of a shift alone.
Dollar General, based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, denied the allegations in a statement posted on its website. The company said the lawsuit wrongly portrays it as disregarding customers’ need for affordable prices. It said its goal is complete accuracy between shelf and register prices, acknowledged that occasional discrepancies can occur, and said employees are expected to correct them. The company also said it has strengthened its price-accuracy processes.