The Missouri Attorney General's Office has apparently been shopping at Dollar General…a lot.
In a lawsuit filed today in St. Louis Circuit Court, Andrew Bailey accuses the retailer of deceptive practices for regularly charging more for products than the price listed on its shelves. The investigation leading up to the suit lasted a year and a half and involved Bailey's office as well as the state Department of Agriculture, which together visited no less than 147 Dollar Generals.
The suit claims that at 92 of them, "the price of merchandise at checkout…was higher than the price that had been advertised for the merchandise on the shelf or on a display."
Bailey's secret shoppers bought more than 5,000 items and in some cases found pricing discrepancies as high as $6 for a given product.
The 15-page suit itemizes many of the items the investigators were overcharged for. A scented candle was up-charged by a dollar; a pack of adhesive by more than a buck fifty. A pack of Hershey bars (with almonds) was rung up for 15 cents more than the listed price, and the price of a pack of socks was inflated at check out by 25 cents.
Other items the store was found to overcharge for included candles, toilet paper, lip balm, lemonade, tire foam and drink coolers.
The lawsuit accuses the merchants of engaging in unlawful practices of deception and misrepresentation. They are seeking a fine of $1,000 per violation, as well as additional restitution from the retailer.
No word yet if anyone in Jefferson City intends to investigate the pilfering of ice cream and juice by axe-wielding thieves in St. Louis. So much theft in Missouri, so little time.
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