Arizona is one of 20 states that joined the Federal Trade Commission on Monday in suing Dollar General, accusing the discount chain of routinely ringing up items at higher prices than the ones posted on shelves, tags and ads.
Attorney General Kris Mayes's office signed the complaint for Arizona, which the FTC filed in federal court in Tennessee. The other states taking part are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.
What the complaint alleges
The lawsuit says the pricing errors have gone on for years and stretched across the company's footprint. Between Jan. 1, 2023, and March 31, 2026, it says, Dollar General logged at least 29,265 customer complaints in a category the company uses for gaps between shelf and register prices, filed from all 48 states where it has stores.
The complaint also says that from 2019 into 2026 the company reached seven settlements with six state attorneys general and consumer protection agencies over inaccurate pricing, paying more than $6 million in penalties. Despite that, it says, Dollar General did not put adequate safeguards in place.
"Dollar General has betrayed the trust of millions of American consumers and imposed significant financial harm on communities and consumers who are already struggling to make their paychecks last," Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in the agency's announcement.
The FTC says the conduct violates the FTC Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the states add claims under their own laws. Arizona's count is brought under the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act. It accuses the company of advertising one price in circulars, online, in its app, on products or on shelves and then charging more at checkout.
The suit asks the court for a permanent injunction, money for consumers, civil penalties and other relief. The FTC notes that filing a complaint means it has reason to believe the law is being broken; the court will decide the case.
