Discount retailer Dollar General will pay a $400,000 fine after state inspectors found the chain repeatedly charged more for items at checkout than their listed shelf price.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office conducted 23 inspections at different Dollar General stores between April 2023 and February. The chain failed 15 of the inspections by charging more at checkout than what was listed on store shelves.
Dollar General denied the allegations that it violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, but agreed to pay a fine, according to an agreement provided by the attorney general’s office. It will also post notices in its store that it will honor the lower of the two prices, conduct internal audits and improve staff training.
“When shoppers are going to the store, they are entitled to pay the price at the cash register that they see on shelves,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. “In this case, Dollar General was telling their customers that they would be charged one price and actually charging them another, and I am now holding them accountable for this wrongful conduct. I will always fight for the rights of Colorado consumers and work to make sure they are treated fairly by businesses.”
Dollar General did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning. It operates more than 20,700 stores in 48 states, according to its website, 68 of which are in Colorado. Officials inspected stores in Milliken, Loveland, Greeley, Evans, Strasburg, Eaton, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Commerce City and Federal Heights.
The attorney general’s announcement did not specify where the fine money would go. A $3 million settlement with Walmart over similar allegations in 2023 helped pay for food and diaper assistance programs, according to the attorney general’s office.
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