Dollar General isn’t a dollar store.
That makes its name a little bit confusing, but the chain actually exists as a high-value discount store. It’s not really fair to lump Dollar General in with rivals like Dollar Tree or Family Dollar.
Those chains are just about the price point. Dollar General actually serves as a supermarket, in some cases a supermarket of last resort, for its shoppers.
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In many cases, each Dollar General location serves a customer base that does not have ready access to a full-size supermarket, a Walmart, or a Target. These shoppers often live within a mile of Dollar General and sometimes shop for their needs on a daily basis.
That’s why thousands of Dollar General locations have added fresh produce and have improved their overall food selection. They’re providing a much-needed service for a clientele that has always been stretched to its financial limits.
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Now, as inflation has pushed prices higher and tariffs have created price uncertainty, the role of Dollar General might become even more important. As more consumers start to worry about their bottom line, finding extreme discounts can be a massive help.
Dollar General actually has a secret list of unbelievable discounts that many shoppers don’t even know exist.
A person is seen shopping at a Dollar General store.
Image source: Getty Images
Dollar General tries to keep prices low
Dollar General (DG) has a clear mission that it lays out on its website.
“We strive to make shopping hassle-free and affordable with more than 20,000 convenient, easy-to-shop stores in 48 states. Our stores deliver everyday low prices on items including food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares, seasonal items, paper products, and much more from America’s most-trusted brands and products, along with high-quality private brands,” the company shared.
That’s a noble purpose that has become even more needed during challenging economic times. CEO Todd Vasos was blunt about the state of many of his company’s shoppers during its fourth-quarter earnings call.
“Many of our customers report that they only have enough money for basic essentials, with some noting that they have had to sacrifice even on the necessities,” he said.
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That’s not something he expects to get better any time soon.
“As we enter 2025, we are not anticipating improvement in the macroenvironment, particularly for our core customer. In turn, we know our customers expect value and convenience more than ever. We are committed to providing the value they need and continue to feel very good about our everyday low-price position relative to comp competitors and other classes of trade,” he added.
Dollar General offers secret deals
While Dollar General has plenty of advertised sales and markdowns, it also has a secret sales list called the Penny List. That’s a list of weekly markdowns that includes discontinued, seasonal, or clearance items marked down to just $0.01.
“The list is typically updated every Tuesday, and once items are officially moved to the penny category in Dollar General’s system, store employees are instructed to remove them from shelves. However, if a customer finds a penny item on the sales floor before it’s pulled, the store is required to sell it at that price,” Retailwire reported.
Essentially, these items are not supposed to be sold, but the very limited staff at Dollar General is not able to remove them from shelves fast enough. That means that vigilant consumers can find items that the retailer will then have to sell them for a single penny.
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There’s no magic secret for fighting these deals. You can literally spot items on the shelves marked at $00.1. In addition, there are some popular coupon blogs that will try to list these items each week, but selections vary a lot locally.
Using the Penny List is more of a bonus than a shopping strategy, but it is a way to stock up on certain essentials if you’re lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time.
