When you go to a Dollar General store not everything is what it appears to be. You might think it’s a dollar store, but it’s not. Sometimes, customers had no idea what the prices on many items were until they got to the register.
TRENTON, NJ — The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs announced a significant settlement with Dollar General Corp., a national discount retail chain. The company agreed to pay $1.2 million to resolve allegations of merchandise pricing violations at its stores across New Jersey, marking the largest settlement ever obtained by the Office of Weights and Measures (OWM). The settlement includes a $1.18 million civil penalty.
The allegations, brought forth by the State, accused Dollar General of violating New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act (CFA) and Weights and Measures Act (WMA). These violations involved selling merchandise at higher prices at the register than those displayed on the sales floor. Inspections conducted in November 2022 and February 2023 across 58 stores in New Jersey found over 2,000 instances of pricing discrepancies, with some products being charged up to $5.95 more than the advertised price.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin emphasized New Jersey’s commitment under Governor Murphy’s leadership to protecting consumers, especially those with low and moderate incomes, from unfair practices. This settlement is a part of those efforts, imposing a substantial penalty on a national retailer for deceptive practices.
The settlement follows a history of pricing violations by Dollar General in New Jersey, with prior inspections from 2018 to 2022 leading to fines totaling $43,678.
Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, Cari Fais, pointed out Dollar General’s repeated overcharging of customers through deceptive pricing, despite its claim of providing affordable essentials in underserved communities.
In addition to the civil penalty, the settlement requires Dollar General to undertake several measures to prevent future violations. These include compliance with state and federal laws, employee pricing training, internal audits for three years, submission of audit reports and corrective action plans in case of failed audits, and retention of all training and audit records for three years.
The investigation was led by the OWM Enforcement Unit, supervised by Jason Flint and Acting Superintendent David Freed. This action demonstrates New Jersey’s firm stance on ensuring transparency and fairness in the marketplace.