The state of Kansas is among 20 states that have joined a lawsuit against a major discount retailer.
Wednesday, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced that the state, alongside 19 others and the Federal Trade Commission, is suing Dollar General for engaging in what a news release from Kobach’s office called “deceptive pricing practices by routinely charging customers more at the register than the prices displayed on shelves, price tags and advertisements, costing consumers millions of dollars.” The complaint alleges that “thousands of Dollar General stores” have taken advantage of vulnerable shoppers by “extracting millions of dollars in unlawful overcharges with insufficient safeguards to prevent the practice.”
It also claims the retailer ignored “tens of thousands of complaints” from customers regarding the pricing issues and alleges Dollar General “knows that it harms consumers by charging more at the register.” The states involved and the FTC are claiming the practices violate the FTC Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the Consumer Protection Act.
Kobach stated in the news release, “Dollar General markets itself as a low-priced option for hardworking Kansas families and those on fixed incomes, yet the company has for years charged more at the register than the prices displayed on its shelves. Despite receiving tens of thousands of consumer complaints and knowing about the problem, Dollar General failed to implement adequate safeguards. My office joined this lawsuit to stop these deceptive practices, hold the company accountable, and ensure that the prices Kansans see are the prices they actually pay under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.”
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Alongside Kansas in the lawsuit are the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.
