When my friend first told me about penny shopping at Dollar General, I’ll admit I was skeptical. Not because I thought she was lying (she’s not the type), but because it sounded almost too good to be true. Getting $40 worth of items for seven cents? Come on.
But here’s the thing about me: when I hear about a potential money-saving opportunity, I can’t just let it go. Even if I’m skeptical, I have to see for myself. So when she offered to take me along on her next penny shopping trip, I said yes. I figured worst case scenario, I’d waste a Tuesday morning but confirm my suspicions that this was just another overhyped clearance shopping trend.
Boy, was I wrong. Watching her walk through Dollar General like she had some kind of secret map, scanning random items with the app, and then walking out with $47 worth of household stuff for twenty-three cents? That was my “holy cow, this is actually real” moment. I went home that day knowing I had to figure out her system. What I discovered wasn’t luck or magic. It was a completely predictable pattern that Dollar General uses to clear inventory. Here are the 7 secret codes and timing strategies that turned my skeptical curiosity into consistent penny shopping wins.
Also See: Weekly Penny List Update
Why Tuesday Morning Is Your Best Shot at Finding Penny Items
Here’s what most penny shoppers get wrong: they think any time is a good time to hunt for deals. The truth is, timing isn’t just important, it’s everything.
Tuesday mornings are when the magic happens. Dollar General’s computer system updates with new penny items overnight on Monday, but here’s the key part that makes all the difference: employees don’t immediately pull these items from shelves. Store staff have opening procedures, restocking duties, and customer service responsibilities that keep them busy during those first few hours.
This creates a perfect window where penny items are live in the system but still sitting on shelves, waiting for someone observant enough to find them.
I learned this the hard way after too many wasted trips where I’d show up on random days hoping to get lucky. Now I plan my penny shopping specifically for Tuesday mornings, right when my local store opens. The difference has been incredible. Last Tuesday, I found a $12 holiday wreath that had been marked down to a penny overnight. By Wednesday afternoon, when I went back to show my husband, it was gone.
Your secret weapon is the Dollar General app. Before you even approach the register, scan any suspicious items with the app’s price checker. This step is absolutely critical because it eliminates the guesswork and saves you from awkward conversations at checkout. I’ve watched other shoppers grab armfuls of items hoping they’re penny deals, only to discover at the register that they’re still full price. Don’t be that person.
Make sure your app location is set to the exact store you’re shopping in because pricing can vary by location. When you scan an item and it shows $0.01, you’ve struck gold. But here’s something most people don’t realize: the app won’t always update immediately when you first open it. Give it a few seconds to refresh, and double-check that your store location is correct at the top of the screen.
The Tuesday morning routine that actually works: Download the app the night before and set your store location while you’re at home with good WiFi. Arrive within the first hour of opening when inventory levels are highest. Bring a small basket instead of a cart because you don’t want to look greedy or draw unnecessary attention. Make sure your phone is fully charged for scanning, and consider bringing a portable charger if your battery tends to die quickly.
One more thing that can save you time and gas: check the app from home to see if your target store has decent inventory levels before making the trip. There’s nothing worse than driving across town only to find empty shelves.
How to Decode Dollar General SKU Patterns and Price Tags for Penny Items
Once you understand Dollar General’s internal coding system, penny shopping stops feeling like gambling and starts feeling like following a treasure map. Every item in the store has two numbers: a UPC code and a SKU number. The SKU is your key to finding penny deals, but most shoppers don’t know how to read the clues that are right in front of them.
Pattern #1: The Yellow Tag Endings That Signal Deep Discounts Yellow clearance stickers ending in .25 or .50 are your first clue that an item is moving through the markdown cycle. These items have been through multiple price reductions and are often one step away from penny status. I’ve found that items with yellow tags showing $1.25, $2.50, or $3.75 frequently scan for a penny within 1-2 weeks. The key is understanding that Dollar General typically marks items down in 25-cent increments, so when you see these specific endings, the item is near the end of its clearance journey.
Pattern #2: The Seasonal Dot System That Most Shoppers Miss Dollar General uses colored dots to track seasonal merchandise, and this system is pure gold once you crack it:
- Green dots = Spring/summer items (think gardening supplies, pool accessories)
- Red dots = Fall/Halloween merchandise (decorations, costumes, candy)
- White/snowflake dots = Winter/Christmas products (holiday decorations, gift wrap)
When you find seasonal items with dots from previous seasons still on shelves, scan them immediately. That red-dotted Halloween decoration sitting there in January? Almost guaranteed to be a penny. The dots help employees know what season an item belongs to, but they also tell you when something is way past its prime selling period.
Pattern #3: The NCI Clover Code That Signals Discontinued Items Look for items with purple or green clover symbols on their price tags. NCI stands for “Non-Carried Inventory,” which means Dollar General is phasing these products out of their standard stock permanently. They typically go penny within 2-4 weeks of getting the clover marking because the company wants them gone to make room for new products. I check the clover items every single time I’m in the store because they’re reliable penny candidates.
Pattern #4: The Multiple Sticker Stack Strategy Items showing three or more markdown stickers layered on top of each other have survived multiple price reductions without selling. This tells you the item has been sitting around for weeks or even months, making it a prime penny candidate. Store employees are supposed to remove items before they hit penny status, but when something has been marked down this many times, it often gets overlooked in the system.
Pattern #5: The Outdated Package Design Goldmine Products with old packaging or discontinued designs often get marked to penny status when newer versions arrive in stores. This happens constantly with beauty products, cleaning supplies, and snack foods. Look for packages that seem slightly different from the current versions on the shelf, or items with older logo designs. Companies refresh their packaging regularly, and stores need to clear out the old versions.
Pattern #6: The Planogram Misfit Items During store resets that happen quarterly, items that don’t fit the new store layout get marked for clearance. Look for products that seem out of place in their sections or items that have been moved to random endcaps. These planogram misfits often get forgotten during the reset process and can sit at penny prices for days before anyone notices.
Pattern #7: The Previous Year Date Code Trick Check small print on packages for manufacturing dates from previous years, especially on seasonal items. Anything showing last year’s date is a strong penny candidate because stores want to move old inventory before it becomes a problem. This works particularly well with holiday items, summer products found in winter, or any item that feels “off-season.”
The scanning strategy that saves time: Take a photo of these patterns on your phone so you can quickly reference what to look for without trying to remember everything. When I’m in the store, I pull up my photos and systematically check for these signs before scanning anything. It’s much more efficient than randomly scanning items and hoping for the best.
Which Dollar General Stores Have the Most Penny Items and How to Find Them
Not all Dollar General stores are created equal when it comes to penny shopping. Some locations are penny goldmines, while others seem picked clean before you even arrive. The difference isn’t luck or timing alone. It’s about understanding which stores struggle with inventory management and how to position yourself as the type of shopper employees don’t mind seeing.
Smaller, understaffed stores are your absolute best bet. These locations often struggle to keep up with pulling penny items because they have fewer employees, higher turnover rates, and managers who are stretched too thin to focus on every detail. Look for stores in smaller towns, less busy shopping areas, or locations that seem to have the same one or two employees every time you visit. They’re significantly more likely to have overlooked penny items sitting on shelves for days or even weeks.
Avoid the “popular” penny shopping stores at all costs. If you see the same group of aggressive penny shoppers hitting a location every Tuesday morning, scanning everything in sight and leaving messes behind, find a different store. These places get cleaned out within hours of opening, and worse, they create tension with employees who get frustrated by the constant disruption. I learned this lesson when my “favorite” store started hiding clearance items in the back because they were tired of the chaos.
Build relationships, don’t burn bridges with store staff. The most successful penny shoppers I know aren’t the ones who find the most items. They’re the ones who become known at their local stores as respectful, organized customers who happen to find penny deals. They don’t ask staff about penny items because employees can’t help you find them anyway, and doing so puts workers in an awkward position. They don’t make messes while searching, they don’t scan every single item in the store, and they treat employees like human beings instead of obstacles to their deals.
Use the app’s inventory checker like a strategic weapon. Before driving across town and wasting gas, check if potential penny items are in stock at multiple locations. The app will show inventory levels for nearby stores, helping you plan the most efficient route and avoid disappointing trips. I typically check 3-4 stores from home while drinking my morning coffee and visit only the ones showing the best inventory levels. This saves me hours of driving around aimlessly.
The “rotation strategy” that actually works long-term. Instead of hitting the same store every Tuesday like clockwork, develop a rotation of 4-5 locations you visit on different weeks. This prevents you from becoming “that penny shopper” at any single location and increases your chances of finding items that other shoppers missed. I have stores I visit every other week, some I hit monthly, and a few “backup” locations I only check when my regular spots are picked over.
Location timing varies more than you’d think. Busy suburban stores get picked over quickly by experienced penny shoppers, but rural locations might have penny items sitting around for days because fewer people know about penny shopping in those areas. I’ve found incredible deals on Thursday afternoons at out-of-the-way stores that city shoppers never bother visiting. Some of my best finds have come from stores that are 15-20 minutes outside of town.
The inventory management clue that most people miss. Pay attention to how organized and well-maintained each store looks. Stores with overflowing clearance sections, items in random places, or shelves that look messy often have the best penny finds because their inventory management isn’t as tight. Conversely, pristine stores with everything perfectly organized usually have managers who are on top of pulling penny items quickly.
Territory mapping for serious penny shoppers. Create a mental map of stores within a 30-minute drive of your home. Note which ones tend to have the best finds, which days of the week work best for each location, and which stores have friendly staff versus ones that seem annoyed by penny shoppers. This might sound excessive, but once you understand your local territory, you can maximize your time and gas money while building positive relationships that pay off long-term.
Your Penny Shopping Action Plan
The difference between successful penny shoppers and frustrated ones isn’t luck, it’s having a system. And now you have that system.
Start tonight: Download the Dollar General app and set your location to the store you plan to visit tomorrow. Charge your phone and get ready for your first real penny shopping adventure.
Tuesday morning game plan: Arrive within the first hour of opening with your phone, a small basket, and realistic expectations. You might not walk out with bags full of penny items on your first trip, but you’ll start understanding how your local store works.
Focus on learning your store’s patterns. Pay attention to where clearance items hide, which departments have the most frequent markdowns, and how your store’s employees handle inventory. Every location is different, and cracking your local store’s code is more valuable than any generic advice.
Remember, penny items are technically supposed to be pulled by employees, so you’re finding the ones that slipped through the cracks. This isn’t about clearing shelves or being greedy. It’s about being observant enough to spot the deals that other shoppers walk right past.
The best part about penny shopping isn’t just the money you save, though that $5-$10 you’ll save each trip adds up fast. It’s the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of beating the system with knowledge instead of luck. Once you start finding these deals consistently, regular shopping will feel boring by comparison.