Dollar General Class Action: Did They Pocket Your Gas Pump Change?

Dollar General runs a scheme that forces customers buying gas with cash to put any change from the transaction onto a Dollar General fuel card, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff Cecil Burns filed the class action complaint against Dollar General Corporation, DG Promotions Inc., and DG Retail LLC June 13 in a Tennessee federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws. 

According to the lawsuit, when consumers go to Dollar General fuel pumps and pay cash, they are not given their change in cash. Rather, Dollar General places consumers’ change onto a Dollar General fuel card that can only be used to buy products at Dollar General stores. 

This is illegal, the lawsuit alleges. “Defendants carry out this scheme without first disclosing it to consumers,” Burns says. 

“Given that the fuel cards can only be used at defendants’ locations, defendants have unjustly enriched themselves to the detriment of Plaintiff and the Class.”

Dollar General's "Change Trap": How the Alleged Scheme Works

Dollar General has taken the simple transaction of buying gas at a pump and turned it into a “money-making scheme,” the lawsuit alleges.

Burns says that, since 2013, Dollar General has operated fuel pumps at many of its store locations. However, unlike most other gas stations in the U.S., the company requires customers paying in cash to use a fuel card to operate the fuel pump, he says. 

“Without any disclosure to their customers, defendants place the amount of cash initially paid by a customer onto a fuel card,” Burns says. 

When the customer goes to get their change, they are told that Dollar General does not provide change in cash, and that they must use their change at a Dollar General.

“Thus, Defendants’ policy robs the customer of his choice of what to do with the [change] and, in so doing, ensures that the [money] can only be used for Defendants’ benefit.”

Mississippi Man Denied Cash Change After Gas Purchase

Burns says he went to a Mississipi Dollar General gas station on March 17, 2022. He said he wasn’t sure how much he’d need to fill his tank, so he gave the cashier at Dollar General an $100 bill.

The cashier told him he would need a fuel card to operate the pump, and gave him one. Burns says he filled up his tank, which cost $40.02, then went back to the cashier for his chance. 

However, the cashier allegedly refused to give Burns his $59.98 change and told him Dollar General does not provide change in cash, and that he could access his funds through the fuel card, by spending the money at Dollar General. 

“The card could not be used at any store not owned by Defendants,” the lawsuit says. “At no time before Burns requested his change did the cashier inform him that any change from his $100.00 would be placed on the card and not refunded to him in cash.” 

Burns says he called the police, who told the cashier to give Burns back his money. The cashier allegedly refused.

Meanwhile, Dollar General is being sued for an alleged “pricing scam” in which customers say that the discount store frequently tags merchandise on store floors at a lower cost than what it rings up at the register.

In the Dollar General fuel card class action lawsuit, Burns is suing on behalf of anyone in the United States who purchased gasoline in cash at a Dollar General location and had their change placed on a Dollar General fuel card. He’s suing for conversion and unjust enrichment and seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Burns v. Dollar General Corporation et al.
• Case Number: 3:24-cv-00728 
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee 

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Brent S. Snyder (Brent Snyder Law)
• Brian K. Herrington (Chhabra Gibbs & Herrington PLLC) 
• James B. Justice (James B. Justice)