You’ve probably heard whispers about penny items – those almost-magical products that ring up for just a penny at checkout. These items exist because stores need to clear inventory but haven’t physically removed the products from shelves. When you’re trying to stretch every dollar, finding these hidden gems can be thrilling.
But there’s a catch. Many stores don’t advertise penny items, and some even have policies against selling them once identified. Asking an employee directly might mean missing out on the deal entirely. So, how can you verify if something is truly a penny item without tipping off staff?
I’ve gathered practical strategies to help you confidently identify penny items before reaching the register. These techniques work especially well at stores like Dollar General and Home Depot, where penny items appear most frequently.
Also See: Beginner’s Guide to Penny Shopping at Dollar General
Practical Ways to Spot Penny Items While Shopping
1. Use the Store’s Mobile App
Retailer apps have become essential tools for bargain hunters looking to verify penny items discreetly. Download the official app for stores like Dollar General, which offers built-in barcode scanning capabilities specifically designed to check prices. Open the app while shopping, locate the scanner function (usually accessible from the main menu or search bar), and position your phone camera over the item’s barcode until it registers.
The app will display the current price in the system. What you’re watching for is a price showing exactly $0.01 or sometimes $0.00. This digital verification method allows you to check potential penny items without drawing attention from store employees. Many shoppers make the mistake of asking staff directly about penny items, which often results in those items being pulled from shelves immediately.
Before going to the store, check out my weekly Penny List to see what’s going on sale!
2. Try Self-Checkout Scanners
Self-checkout areas provide another excellent opportunity to verify prices without committing to a purchase. When you suspect an item might be a penny deal, take it to a self-checkout station and scan it as if you’re beginning a transaction. The price will appear on the screen, giving you immediate verification.
If the item shows as $0.01, you can proceed with your purchase or add other items to your transaction. If it’s not a penny item, simply press “Cancel” or “Remove Item” to void that particular product without completing the purchase. This technique works particularly well at retailers like Home Depot, Walmart, and Target, where self-checkout stations are readily available and typically don’t attract staff attention when you’re checking prices.
3. Look for Specific Price Points
When scanning potential penny items, certain price displays indicate you’ve found what you’re looking for. A price of exactly $0.01 is the most obvious sign of a penny item. However, some store systems might display penny items differently. A price showing as $0.00, “Error,” or “Item Not Found” can also signal that the product has reached penny status in the inventory system.
This happens because penny status often means the item should have been removed from the sales floor according to corporate policy. The unusual price displays are flags in the system that the item no longer belongs in active inventory. Learning to recognize these specific indicators helps you identify penny items even when they don’t explicitly show a one-cent price tag.
4. Check for Special Markdown Codes
Retailers use systematic coding on their clearance tags to track how deeply an item has been discounted. At Home Depot, for example, the clearance tag system uses the last two digits to indicate markdown levels. Items tagged with “06” are typically at 25% off, “04” indicates 50% off, “03” means 75% off, and “02” represents 90% off. Products that have reached the final markdown stage with “02” are prime candidates for eventually becoming penny items.
Understanding these codes gives you insight into the clearance progression. Items at the deepest discount level are the ones to watch closely, as they’re next in line to be removed from inventory, potentially becoming penny items if they’re missed during the removal process. Make a habit of checking clearance sections for these deeply discounted tags and scanning them to verify their current status.
5. Understand Store Clearance Patterns
Retail stores follow predictable patterns when clearing seasonal merchandise and discontinued items. Learning these patterns helps anticipate which products might soon reach penny status. Dollar General, for instance, typically moves seasonal merchandise through several markdown phases before items potentially become penny items at the end of their clearance cycle.
Seasonal items like holiday decorations, summer supplies, and winter accessories are particularly worth watching as their respective seasons end. Products with outdated packaging or previous model years also frequently transition to penny status. By tracking clearance sections regularly, you’ll start to recognize the timing patterns specific to your local stores and can plan shopping trips accordingly.
6. Be Aware of Store Policies
Each retailer handles penny items according to their own internal policies, which directly impacts your shopping strategy. Dollar General has perhaps the most well-known penny item discounts, but has strict policies against intentionally selling these items. Their official stance is that penny-priced merchandise should have been removed from shelves and is not intended for sale.
Other stores might have similar policies or might simply honor the price shown in their system. Understanding these policies helps you approach the checkout process appropriately. If a cashier identifies a penny item and refuses the sale, accepting this graciously maintains good relationships with store staff. Some customers make the mistake of arguing about penny items, which can result in stores becoming more vigilant about removing them before shoppers find them.
7. Maintain Shopping Etiquette
Your behavior while hunting for penny items can significantly impact your success rate. When you identify potential penny merchandise, resist calling attention to your finds. Instead, place them in your cart casually among other purchases. Shopping with a normal basket of items rather than only potential penny products reduces suspicion.
At checkout, maintain a conversational but neutral demeanor. Avoid comments about prices or excitement over potential deals until after your purchase is complete. Some experienced penny shoppers even distribute their potential finds across multiple transactions or visits to avoid having a large quantity of penny items in a single purchase, which might alert management to the issue.
8. Know the Best Shopping Days
Timing your shopping trips strategically increases your chances of finding penny items before they’re discovered and removed. Many retailers update their inventory systems and make price changes on specific days of the week. At Dollar General, Tuesday mornings are when most stores begin selling penny items, though some stores won’t start until Wednesday.
Arriving early on these days gives you first access to items that have newly reached penny status before store employees have had time to remove them from shelves. Regular shopping on these strategic days will help you establish which timing works best for your local stores.
9. Recognize Visual Indicators (with caution)
While not guaranteed to be accurate, certain visual cues might help you identify candidates for penny status. At Dollar General, clearance items often receive colored dot stickers as they move through the markdown process. Items with particular colored stickers (which change seasonally) have sometimes correlated with penny status.
Colored Dots: In some Dollar General stores, purple, brown, or orange dots indicate final clearance stages that might lead to penny status.
Discontinued Tags: Products marked with “Discontinued” or “Clearance” tags that have been on shelves for extended periods are worth scanning.
Always remember that these visual indicators are supplementary at best and change frequently. Never rely solely on sticker colors or tag types without verifying with a scanner, as the indicators vary by region and change with each clearance cycle.
10. Be Prepared for Varying Experiences
Your penny item shopping experience will rarely be consistent, even within the same store chain. Individual store managers have considerable discretion in how they handle penny items at checkout. Some locations might be more relaxed about selling penny merchandise, while others strictly enforce removal policies.
Store inventory systems also vary in how quickly they update. A product might show as a penny item in one location but still be at a clearance price in another store within the same chain. Approach penny item hunting with flexibility and patience, understanding that success rates will fluctuate. When a penny item purchase is declined, accepting it graciously preserves your ability to continue shopping for these deals in the future.
Smart Shopping Strategies That Save You Money
Finding penny items requires a combination of knowledge, timing, and discretion. The strategies outlined above can help you verify potential penny items without alerting staff or causing issues at checkout. Remember that penny items exist because stores need to remove that inventory – you’re actually helping them clear their stock while saving money.
The next time you’re shopping at Dollar General, Home Depot, or other retailers known for penny deals, put these verification techniques into practice. With some patience and careful shopping habits, you might just walk away with incredible deals that cost next to nothing.
