OHIO — Local food banks are receiving $750,000 just in time for the holiday season.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that most of the funds from the settlement with Dollar General will go to food banks or other hunger-relief organizations across the state. Each county auditor will choose the beneficiary for their county.
“Most people don’t shop at Dollar General because they have a lot of extra money to spend,” Yost told the auditors at the Renaissance Westerville. “So when a bottle of shampoo that should cost $1 costs $2 at the checkout, that’s a real thing. And you all brought it to light.”
Dollar General was sued back in 2022 for displaying prices on the shelves but charging a higher price at the register. Yost said there is at least one Dollar General in every one of the 88 counties in Ohio.
“In every county there is at least one Dollar General, and there will be a $1,000 minimum check for that first store – so every county gets at least $1,000,” he said. “The remainder of the $750,000 is going to be divided up and distributed based on how many stores you have in your county.”
In addition to the monetary relief, Dollar General will have to ensure they are following these guidelines displayed in the settlement:
Shelf tags need to be regularly updated
If a customer finds a discrepancy, an employee must fix the discrepancy in 24 hours
Random price checks must be conducted by District Managers every 45 days
If a store receives three “failed” reports within 6 months, the store must complete a full-store assessment and check the price of every item to ensure accuracy
Employees must be educated by the company about this policy