Congress members demand answers on price disparities at dollar-store chains

Guardian investigation sparks letter from 30 lawmakers questioning ‘how seriously’ Dollar General and Family Dollar prioritize ethics and affordability

Thirty members of Congress are demanding answers from Dollar General and Family Dollar, requesting internal documents about widespread disparities between shelf prices and register prices at the dollar-store chains’ 28,000 US stores.

The demand for answers – detailed in a letter sent on Friday to the CEOs of both companies – comes as the direct result of a 3 December Guardian investigation of the two national chains. The investigation found that Dollar General stores have failed more than 4,300 government price-accuracy inspections in 23 states since January 2022. Family Dollar stores have failed more than 2,100 price inspections in 20 states over the same time span.