Investigation Reveals Frequent Overcharging Issues at Dollar Stores Across the US
A Guardian investigation has uncovered widespread pricing inaccuracies at major dollar stores, including Dollar General and Family Dollar, resulting in customers paying more than the shelf prices displayed. The inquiry found high error rates in various locations, such as a Family Dollar store in Windsor, North Carolina, where 69 of 300 items (23%) were overcharged, including products like Red Baron pizza and Bounty towels.
Dollar General has failed more than 4,300 price-accuracy inspections across 23 states since January 2022, while Family Dollar failed over 2,100 inspections in 20 states. Notable overcharges include a 76% failure rate in Hamilton, Ohio (October 2022) for Dollar General, a 68% failure at a Family Dollar in Bound Brook, New Jersey (February 2023), a 58% failure in Lorain, Ohio (September 2025), a 48% failure in Provo, Utah (May 2024), and a 12% failure in October 2025.
Enforcement actions have been taken in several states: Arizona’s Attorney General fined Family Dollar $600,000 in May 2025; Colorado settled with Dollar General for $400,000 after 15 of 23 inspections failed in October 2024. Additional settlements have been reported in New Jersey, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Ohio.
Consumers have felt the impact directly. Linda Davis, 64, from Dayton, Ohio, who relies on public assistance, found that 12 out of 23 of her purchases were rung up incorrectly. Such cumulative overcharges can significantly affect financially strapped shoppers.
Both companies declined interview requests but issued statements stressing their commitment to pricing accuracy. Dollar General has asserted that legal standards do not require perfection in matching shelf prices with scanned prices.
The investigation identified that price tags on shelves are manually updated amid minimal staffing, while price changes update automatically in registers. This lag causes mispricing that often goes unnoticed by customers.
Dollar General operates over 20,000 stores in 48 states with $40.6 billion in net sales, and Family Dollar operates about 8,000 stores. Both cater mainly to low-income and rural communities, with 75% of Americans living within five miles of a Dollar General.
Data for the investigation was obtained from 45 states and 140 counties and cities, but nearly half of the states provide limited or no public data on pricing accuracy. Some states rely primarily on consumer complaints, and a 2020 Kansas audit noted that price-inspection activities are generally a low priority for regulatory agencies.
