Dollar General Settles New York Overcharging Claims for $1.875 Million

Dollar General has agreed to a $1.875 million settlement with New York authorities over allegations that its stores repeatedly charged customers more at checkout than advertised prices. The agreement requires the nation's largest dollar-store chain to donate food and personal items to a regional food bank in upstate New York and strengthen pricing controls across more than 600 stores statewide.

According to the New York attorney general's office, inspections found discrepancies between checkout prices and those displayed on shelf labels, signs, advertising circulars, and the company's mobile app. In one inspection covering 114 items across multiple stores, officials identified individual overcharges of 26%, 38%, and 39%.

The settlement requires Dollar General to introduce comprehensive procedures to improve pricing accuracy, including scheduling employees to keep shelf labels updated and hiring independent auditors to conduct secret shopper tests. The company must also change its receipt format after investigators found that confusing layouts made it difficult for consumers to determine what they had paid.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said customers should be charged the prices advertised in stores.

"When New Yorkers see a sale price advertised on the shelf, they should be able to trust that they’ll be charged that same price at the register," said Letitia James, New York attorney general.

The agreement follows broader concerns about pricing accuracy at Dollar General locations beyond New York. A Guardian investigation published in December found that the retailer had frequently overcharged customers nationwide for products including Flintstones vitamins, Peter Pan peanut butter, and Prego pasta sauce.

According to the Guardian's investigation, Dollar General stores failed more than 4,300 government price-accuracy inspections across 23 states between 2022 and 2025. At one store in Port Henry, New York, inspectors identified overcharges on 78% of the items examined.

The New York settlement does not require Dollar General to admit or deny the authorities' findings. The company issued a statement in response to questions from the Guardian, acknowledging that pricing discrepancies had occurred while outlining its stated commitment to accurate shelf prices.

"Dollar General is committed to providing customers with accurate on-shelf prices on items purchased in our stores, and we are disappointed any time we fail to deliver on this commitment. When a pricing discrepancy is identified, our store teams are instructed, expected and empowered to correct the matter on the spot for our customers," Dollar General said.

The company also described its existing efforts to address pricing accuracy and said it regularly reviews its procedures.

"we have in place a number of measures designed to promote pricing accuracy, and we continuously evaluate and evolve these measures," Dollar General added.