Price check: Family Dollar, Dollar General stores fined for overcharging customersPrice check: Family Dollar, Dollar General stores fined for overcharging customers

A handful of Family Dollar stores and two Dollar General stores in North Carolina have been fined by the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division for price scanning errors during the last quarter of 2024. Of the 14 locations fined, eight were Family Dollar stores, and two of those stores have been fined multiple times for overcharging customers.

Collectively, the North Carolina dollar stores were hit with about $55,000 in fines. 

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Early last year, Family Dollar settled with Ohio’s attorney general for $400,000 after being sued for listing false prices on items. Without admitting wrongdoing, Family Dollar also agreed to implement more rigorous employee training and conduct more thorough price checks. Moving forward, when price tags are created, at least two people must ensure that the intended shelf price matches the intended charged price. Family Dollar said it would also provide adequate time and staffing for employees to replace price tags and would conduct more thorough, regular price audits.

Dollar General reached several settlements in 2023 regarding overcharging customers. In November 2023, two settlements were reached—one with Wisconsin regulators for $850,000 and another with the state of New Jersey for $1.2 million. A month earlier, Dollar General settled with Ohio’s attorney general for $1 million.

The Family Dollar store in Alamance, N.C., that was recently fined had also been charged for failed pricing inspections several times dating back to November 2023. A Family Dollar store in Union, N.C., has also been fined numerous times since 2023.

In their own words:

“Dollar General is committed to providing customers with accurate prices on items purchased in our stores, and we are disappointed anytime we fail to meet this commitment,” a Dollar General spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Supermarket News. “When a pricing discrepancy is identified, our store teams are empowered to correct the matter immediately for our customers.”

“At Family Dollar, we are dedicated to serving the needs of our shoppers and providing them with great values and pricing accuracy on the products they need and want,” a Family Dollar spokesperson told Supermarket News. “We are committed to operational compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.”