The Ohio Attorney General is suing Dollar General for deceptive pricing

According to a press release issued yesterday, Ohio Attorney General David Yost has filed a lawsuit against Dollar General, alleging it practiced deceptive pricing.

The suit alleges the company regularly advertised a certain price on store shelves, but then charged a higher price at the register.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture will permit up to 2% error rate on overcharges for businesses, but testing done in Butler County by the county auditor’s Department of Weights and Measures discovered that these same rates in 20 different Dollar General stores ranged from 16.7% to 88.2%

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Between March of 2021 and August of 2022, Yost’s office received 12 complaints about Dollar General stores from eight different Ohio counties, including Franklin County.

One consumer complaint states that they were charged double for a $1 bottle of shampoo. Additionally, several customers told Yost’s office that even after discrepancies were pointed out, the store did not correct the price.

“Everything we buy these days costs more – Ohioans can ill-afford businesses that draw people in with the promise of low prices only to deceive them at the checkout counter,” Yost said in press release. “This seems like a company trying to make an extra buck and hoping no one will notice. We’ve not only noticed but are taking action to stop it.”

The lawsuit, which was filed in Butler County Common Pleas Court, cites a violation of the state’s Consumer Sales Practices Act. The state is seeking monetary payments in addition to intervention to bring the store into compliance with Ohio law.

“This is appalling behavior and should be answered for in a court of law,” Yost said. “If you see this happening in a store near you, let my office know. We’re here to protect Ohioans from being ripped off.”

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