The Attorney General of the state of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Agriculture have filed a suit against Dollar General alleging unfair and deceptive pricing practices in stores located in the state.  The allegations relate to prices charged at checkout that are higher than indicated at point-of-sale.  Ninety-two Dollar General stores among 147 investigated failed the comparison. This suggests that errors were not simply related to a malfunction of checkout scanners or errors in placing shelf prices at a few specific stores.  The inspection involved 50 random products.  The Department of Agriculture inspectors determined that the average overcharge was $2.71 on a range of products and price discrepancies could amount to $6.50 per item.

Recently, Dollar General has come under intense scrutiny over wage rates, employee safety, having been cited by OSHA, and failure to supply fresh food and vegetables in so-called “food deserts”.  It is obvious that the chain has both a problem of ethics and a reluctance to respond to legitimate complaints relating to corporate activities.