20 states and the FTC are suing Dollar General for repeatedly overcharging shoppers more at checkout than what's advertised on the shelves. Tens of thousands of customer complaints between January 2023 and March 2026 allege millions of dollars in overcharges across 21,000+ stores. The FTC says Dollar General knew about these pricing errors for years through customer complaints and state inspections but avoided implementing operational safeguards or proper staffing levels to ensure shelf tags matched register prices. Dollar General frequently operates in low-income urban centers and rural food deserts where residents live on fixed or tight budgets. They often have limited transportation or no alternative options, so the company operates in a captive market. Draining resources and extracting extra margins through inaccurate pricing on a vulnerable population resembles a parasitic relationship. Between 2019 and 2026, Dollar General entered into 7 settlements paying over $6 million in fines for identical violations. That penalty comes out to $40-$45 per store per year. If all they get is a small fine for this, why would they stop? A slap on the wrist is just the cost of doing business.