Imagine walking into Dollar General, grabbing something that looks like ordinary clearance merchandise, and having it ring up for just one penny. That’s the idea behind Dollar General “penny shopping,” a bargain-hunting strategy that has developed a surprisingly large following online.
The deals are real, but finding them isn’t as simple as looking for a shelf marked “one cent.” Penny items can be difficult to spot, disappear quickly, and aren’t part of a traditional advertised sale, so knowing how the system works can make all the difference.
What exactly is a Dollar General penny item?
Penny items are generally products that have reached the end of their clearance cycle and have dropped to $0.01 in the system. These products are typically supposed to be removed from the sales floor, but occasionally some remain on shelves long enough for shoppers to find them.
The penny list isn’t actually published by Dollar General
Despite the name, don’t expect to walk into a store and find an official penny list posted for shoppers. Instead, bargain-hunting communities compile lists of products that have reportedly dropped to a penny, often including UPCs and other details that make the exact items easier to identify.
Tuesday is a big day for penny shoppers
New penny markdowns commonly appear on Tuesdays, which is why experienced penny shoppers often start checking stores early in the week. Lists often circulate before or around Tuesday, giving shoppers an idea of which products to look for.
You have to find the exact product
Seeing the right product name isn’t always enough because a different size, flavor, color, or package may have a completely different price. The UPC is often the best way to determine whether you’ve found the exact item that’s reportedly been marked down.
Don’t look only in the clearance section
Penny items aren’t necessarily gathered together in one convenient spot waiting to be found. They can turn up among seasonal merchandise, regular shelves, endcaps and clearance areas, particularly when older inventory has been overlooked.
The Dollar General app can make the hunt considerably easier because shoppers can scan product barcodes to check prices for their selected store.
Finding an item on the list doesn’t mean your store will have it
A penny list can tell you what products have reportedly dropped to one cent, but it can’t tell you what’s still sitting on the shelf at your particular store. Employees may have already removed the merchandise, another shopper may have gotten there first or your location may never have carried that particular item.
A penny price isn’t the same thing as a penny sale
This is probably the biggest misconception about Dollar General penny shopping. These aren’t traditional one-cent sales advertised by the store; the penny price is generally associated with merchandise that’s reached the end of its markdown cycle and shouldn’t be sitting on the sales floor.
Don’t ask employees where the penny items are
Since penny merchandise isn’t an advertised promotion, walking into the store and asking an employee to show you the one-cent products probably won’t get you very far. The strategy is to do your own research beforehand, then check the shelves to see what you missed.
