LANSING, Mich. — Michigan shoppers who have watched a Dollar General register ring up a higher number than the shelf tag are now part of a federal case, after Attorney General Dana Nessel joined the Federal Trade Commission and a group of other states in suing the discount chain on Monday.
The complaint, filed in federal court in middle Tennessee where the company is based, accuses Dollar General Corporation of a years-long pattern of charging more at checkout than the prices posted on shelves, price tags and advertisements.
Regulators claim the overcharges added up to millions of dollars and that the company drew tens of thousands of complaints from customers nationwide who were not given the advertised price. The suit argues those complaints show the chain knew about the problem yet failed to put working fixes in place.
One example in the filing involves a shopper who found eggs marked at $3.25 in August, only to be charged $4.50 at the register and refused the lower price by the clerk.
For Michigan, the case leans on two state laws. Nessel cites the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, and the complaint says the company also broke the Michigan Shopping Reform and Modernization Act, which governs how retailers display and charge prices.
In announcing the suit, Nessel said shoppers deserve respect wherever they spend money and credited the FTC and partner states for a wide-ranging investigation she hopes will restore honest pricing nationwide.
The allegations have not been proven in court. Shoppers who believe they were overcharged at a Michigan store can file a complaint with the attorney general consumer protection division.
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