6 Dollar General Rules That Trip Up Ohioans at the Register

That coupon you saved as a screenshot on your phone won’t work at a Dollar General register.

It’s an easy way to end up paying more than you planned, and it’s not the only store rule that does.

Here are the Dollar General rules that trip up Ohioans at the register.

1. Shelf Tag Prices

Ohio’s 2023 settlement with Dollar General requires employees to match the shelf tag price when you point out a higher price at the register.

You have to speak up.

The store must then fix the shelf tag within 24 hours of noticing the mismatch.

Dollar General must also staff its stores well enough to keep shelf tags updated.

No chain gets every price tag right, so we’d still glance at the shelf tag before heading to the register.

2. Coupon Limits

Two coupons is the limit on any one item at Dollar General: one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon.

Stacking two manufacturer coupons on the same item isn’t allowed.

You can use a manufacturer coupon and a Dollar General coupon on the same jug of Gain laundry detergent, as long as neither says it isn’t valid with other coupons.

If a coupon is worth more than the item, the leftover value goes toward the rest of your purchase.

That overage covers store merchandise only, so gift cards, prepaid money cards, phone cards, alcohol and tobacco are off the list.

No cash comes back.

3. Rejected Coupons

Dollar General’s coupon policy won’t accept a coupon saved as a screenshot or picture on your phone.

Photocopies are out too.

Expired coupons and coupons from other retailers are out too.

So do internet coupons without a scannable barcode, a Dollar General promotion code or a visible and valid expiration date.

A manufacturer coupon needs a “remit to:” address printed on it.

If you hold a coupon for a free item, it works only when it comes with a purchase requirement, such as buy one, get one free.

4. Price Matching and Online Returns

A rival store’s sale flyer won’t lower your total at a Dollar General register, since Dollar General doesn’t match competitor ad prices.

If you buy something on dollargeneral.com or the Dollar General app, the company’s terms say you can’t return it at any Dollar General store.

Those returns go through the Returns Policy on the website or app instead.

5. Digital Coupons and DG Cash

Under the coupon policy, Dollar General’s digital coupons count as manufacturer coupons unless the Digital Coupon Gallery labels them as store coupons.

You add a coupon to your myDG Wallet, then meet its requirements in a store or online.

In a store, you also have to enter the phone number tied to your myDG account at checkout.

The myDG FAQ says to do that every time you shop, even without a coupon to redeem.

Dollar General’s terms say DG Cash, the balance you earn from cash back offers, isn’t cash and can’t be redeemed for it.

It buys merchandise only.

Among the items you can’t buy with it are alcohol, tobacco and gift cards.

If you want to spend a set amount of DG Cash, tell the cashier how much to redeem.

You can use digital coupons and DG Cash offers on the same purchase, but not on the same item.

If you select both for one item, the coupon applies and you don’t earn the cash back.

6. SNAP Split Payments

You can pay with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at Dollar General for groceries approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Dollar General’s SNAP page says you can split your payment at checkout between an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card for eligible items and another method for the rest.

At checkout, you choose SNAP EBT as your payment method and enter your PIN.

The USDA’s list covers breads and cereals but leaves out pet foods, cleaning supplies, paper products, vitamins and medicines.

If your cart holds cereal and a bag of dog food, SNAP covers the cereal, and you pay for the dog food another way.

Dollar General charges no additional fee for using your SNAP EBT card in a store.

Reporting a Wrong Price

If you suspect unfair business practices at Dollar General, you can contact the Ohio Attorney General's Office at OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.

In Franklin County, the auditor's Weights and Measures office checks store scanners by pulling random items from the shelves and scanning them.

A store can be off by two percent and still pass.

If it goes over, the store fails and gets two weeks to correct the error.

The office puts an approval seal on the register of each store that passes, where you can see it.

If you file a complaint with the office, an inspector will usually visit the store within 24 to 48 hours.

The Lawsuit Timeline

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sued Dollar General in November 2022.

The lawsuit accused Dollar General of advertising one price on its shelves and charging a higher price at the register.

It cited violations of Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act.

In Butler County, the county auditor's Department of Weights and Measures found error rates of 16.7% to 88.2% at 20 Dollar General stores.

Before the suit, the attorney general's office had received 12 complaints about Dollar General stores in Cuyahoga, Franklin, Highland, Lucas, Madison, Richland, Summit and Trumbull counties.

By January 2023, the office had received 116 complaints about Dollar General's shelf pricing.

That month, Yost asked a Butler County Common Pleas judge for a temporary restraining order to stop the company from advertising one price on its shelves.