Dollar General settles for $1.875M over overcharging New York shoppers

Dollar General has agreed to a $1.875 million settlement with New York after the state said the chain "repeatedly and persistently" charged shoppers more at the register than the prices shown on the shelf. Instead of paying cash, the company will donate food and personal items to a food bank in upstate New York. It also has to change how its stores handle prices.

What the state found

The New York attorney general's office said Dollar General often charged higher prices at checkout than the prices it promised on shelf labels, signs, advertising circulars and its mobile app. In one check of 114 items across multiple stores, the state found overcharges on single items as high as 26%, 38% and 39%.

State investigators also said the company's receipts used "various confusing formats." That made it hard for shoppers to tell what they were really paying.

What Dollar General must do

• Donate $1.875 million in food and personal items to a regional upstate food bank.
• Put price-accuracy safeguards in place at its more than 600 New York stores.
• Schedule staff to make sure shelf tags are updated.
• Hire independent auditors to run secret shopper tests.
• Reformat its receipts so they are easier to read.

Dollar General neither admitted nor denied the state's findings. In a statement, the company said it is committed to accurate shelf prices and is "disappointed any time we fail to deliver on this commitment." It said store teams are "instructed, expected and empowered" to fix a price mismatch on the spot.

Not just a New York issue

A Guardian investigation published in December reported overcharging across the country, on items such as Flintstones vitamins, Peter Pan peanut butter and Prego pasta sauce. The Guardian found Dollar General stores failed more than 4,300 government price-accuracy inspections in 23 states between 2022 and 2025. An inspection at a store in Port Henry, New York, flagged overcharges on 78% of the items checked.

What to do

If you shop at a dollar store, compare your receipt with the shelf tag before you leave. If the two do not match, ask for the shelf price. Dollar General says its store teams are expected to correct a discrepancy on the spot. Attorney General Letitia James put the standard simply: a sale price on the shelf should be the price at the register.