Dollar General employee reveals sly trick ‘used by retail giant’ to make deals look better than they are
A Dollar General employee has revealed that the retail giant is using a devious method to trick shoppers into spending more money on a discounted item.
In the video posted to TikTok, a woman claiming to be a Dollar Store employee can be seen changing the price of an item so that it goes on sale at its original price.
In the video, posted by Ashtyn, she is seen changing the price of a Forever Pals steel pet food bowl, which was originally priced at $5.75.
In the clip, however, Ashtyn raised the price to $6, before lowering it to the original $5.75 and marking it as discounted.
In the video, which Ashtyn posted, she can be seen changing the price of a Forever Pals steel bowl, which was originally priced at $5.75, to a higher price of $6, before eventually putting it on sale for the original price of $5.75.
In response to the video, one user expressed his outrage in a comment: “This should really be illegal.”
They added: ‘I always check and if it’s not really a discount and I don’t need it, I don’t get it. My local store does this A LOT’
Another said the trick is used so often that shoppers no longer “believe in sales” and that “Black Friday has been dead for years.”
The alleged trick, known as fictitious or misleading marking or false pricing, is rarely enforced except by those who have filed a class action lawsuit.
Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits “unlawful, unfair, or deceptive acts or practices in or relating to commerce.”
The video posted by Ashtyn has been viewed more than 225,000 times.
Pictured: Dollar General store deals, which are under fire from a TikTok user named Ashtyn
Dollar General has recently come under fire after the chain released a disappointing earnings report
Dollar General recently came under fire after the chain posted disappointing profit figures.
Shares of all three national dollar store chains have fallen sharply in the past year, with Dollar General down 39 percent this month.
Dollar General reported in its latest earnings that poorer Americans are running out of money at the end of the month, meaning they are having to cut back on even the most basic purchases.
David D’Arezzo, a former top executive at Dollar General and other retailers, told CNN that Dollar General made a mistake by trying to focus on discretionary items, also known as “non-consumables.”
In recent years, the chain has added more decorations and candles to its shelves, instead of focusing on essential consumables such as food and cleaning products.
“They’re trying to get away from a failed strategy of non-consumables, where they have a lot of inventory,” he said. “They’ve missed that in tough times, consumers are looking for consumables.”