Dollar General Once Reported $1 Billion In Lost—Or Stolen—Merchandise. Here’s What Changed.

BreakingBusinessDollar General Once Reported $1 Billion In Lost—Or Stolen—Merchandise. Here’s What Changed.ByTy Roush,Forbes Staff. Ty Roush is a breaking news reporter based in New York City.Follow AuthorJun 02, 2026, 11:15am EDTToplineDollar General on Tuesday reported quarterly earnings that surpassed Wall Street’s expectations, as the discount retailer was a far cry from the nearly $1 billion in inventory shrink—a mix of theft, damage and other losses—that once weighed on its profits. Profits for the discount retailer jumped after it reported a further decline in losses from shoplifting and damages.Getty ImagesKey FactsDollar General announced a 3.4% annual increase in revenue to $10.7 billion, just under consensus analyst estimates of $10.8 billion, as earnings of $2 per share beat projections of $1.89 per share, according to FactSet.Dollar General increased its profit outlook for the year, with estimates of annual earnings reaching $7.45, up 10 cents from earlier projections.The retailer reported $153 million in inventory shrink through the quarter, down 13% from the $176 million recorded a year ago, after Dollar General said inventory shrink has “significantly improved from elevated levels in recent years” and that progress was made in reducing damages over the last five consecutive quarters.Dollar General said last year its inventory shrink was “significant” and could disrupt its finances, with merchandise losses peaking at $928 million in 2024, before an annual inventory shrink of $928 million in 2024, when the retailer said merchandise losses were “significant” and could disrupt its finances. Shares of Dollar General dropped by 1.8% shortly after trading opened on Tuesday. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elem...