12/13/2025
Millions of Americans rely on dollar and discount stores to stretch every dollar. But a new Guardian investigation shows that at chains like Dollar General and Family Dollar, the price you see on the shelf isn’t always the price you pay at the register. In inspections across multiple states, hundreds of items rang up significantly higher than their posted prices, sometimes by more than 20 percent — even on basics like pizza, paper towels, dog food and cereal. These pricing errors aren’t rare glitches. They’re widespread, often repeat violations, and the stores operate with minimal staff and weak enforcement of accuracy rules. The result? People with tight budgets are losing money without realizing it — while the chains face tiny fines and shrug it off. It’s about who pays the real price of “low-cost” retail.
