JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is suing Dollar General, claiming the store has "unfair and deceptive pricing practices."
The suit, filed jointly by the Republican attorney general and the Missouri Department of Agriculture, accused the company of overcharging customers for necessities, as well as charging higher prices for items at the register than were listed on the shelf. The lawsuit listed examples such as candles, toilet paper, lip balm, lemonade, tire foam and drink coolers.
"Dollar General is routinely overcharging Missouri consumers for every day staples and the necessities of life," the suit stated. "Worse still, consumers are being deceived as to the prices they are actually paying for these items."
The lawsuit said a statewide investigation conducted by Bailey's office and the agriculture department found 92 of 147 businesses that were looked into failed inspection.
As part of the inspection, 50 items were randomly selected at several Dollar General stores, including locations in the St. Louis area. Their listed prices were compared with their point-of-sale scanned price.
Several stores were found to have more than two violations, which is the limit for failing inspection, according to the Agriculture Department. Bailey's office said price discrepancies were up to $6.50 per item, with an average overcharge of $2.71 for more than 5,000 items that were pricechecked.
“As long as I’m Attorney General, my office will always pursue those who attempt to rip off Missouri consumers,” Bailey said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “Prices are at an all-time high; the last thing Missourians need is to feel the brunt of Dollar General’s scheme. We will move forward undeterred in our fight to obtain full restitution for all affected.”
A Dollar General spokesperson provided a statement Friday, which reads, "Dollar General is committed to providing customers with accurate 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 empowered to correct the matter on the spot for our customers. We typically do not comment on pending litigation."
Read the full lawsuit below.