New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced a settlement with the national discount chain, Dollar General. The retail chain, which operates 186 locations in New Jersey and over 19,000 stores in the United States and Mexico, has agreed to pay $1.2 million to resolve allegations of merchandise pricing violations at several stores statewide.
Dollar General, an American chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, is known for its convenience, quality brands, and low prices. The stores are designed to make shopping a hassle-free experience with carefully edited merchandise assortments. However, this reputation has been tarnished by the recent allegations.
The settlement includes a $1.18 million civil penalty, marking the largest settlement obtained by the state’s Office of Weights and Measures. New Jersey alleged that Dollar General violated state laws by selling a variety of merchandise that scanned at the cash register for higher prices than were posted where the merchandise was displayed for sale.
State inspectors found more than 2,000 instances of these violations at 58 stores. The discrepancies between the scanned prices at the cash register and the posted prices on the shelves have raised serious concerns about the company’s pricing practices.