COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKBN) – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is taking Dollar General to court over what he calls deceptive pricing policies.

Yost said he has received complaints from customers in multiple counties, including Trumbull County, about the business advertising goods for one price on shelves and then charging a higher price at the register.

“This seems like a company trying to make an extra buck and hoping no one will notice. We’ve not only noticed but are taking action to stop it,” he said.

Dollar General, a Tennessee-based company, has 943 stores in Ohio, according to Yost’s office.

Ohio Department of Agriculture rules permit stores to have up to a 2% error rate on overcharges. According to a news release from Yost’s office, testing done last month in Butler County by the county auditor’s Department of Weights and Measures and made available to the Attorney General’s Office found error rates ranging from 16.7% to 88.2% for 20 Dollar General stores.

The Attorney General’s Office also reported receiving 12 complaints in regard to improper pricing from March 2021 to August 2022.

One customer reported that a Dollar General in Franklin County listed shampoo at $1 on the shelves but charged double that amount at the register. In certain instances, consumers alleged that even after they pointed out price discrepancies, the stores would not change the price, according to Yost.

The lawsuit, filed in Butler County Common Pleas Court, cites violations of Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act, saying Dollar General listed false prices on items and engaged in bait advertising.

In addition to seeking monetary payments, the state is seeking court intervention to “bring Dollar General into compliance with Ohio law.”

WKBN reached out to Dollar General for comment on the lawsuit but hasn’t yet heard back.