Dollar General Penny Items: How to Find Them [2026]
Dollar General penny items are discontinued products that ring up for $0.01 at checkout. They reach penny status after cycling through 50%, 70%, and 90% clearance markdowns — at which point DG instructs employees to remove them from shelves. Find one before it is pulled and store policy requires the cashier to sell it at that price.
How does the Dollar General penny list work?
Dollar General does not publish a penny list. Items hit $0.01 after the store's markdown system moves them through the full clearance cycle: 50% off, then 70%, then 90%, then a penny. At the penny stage, DG tells stores to pull them from the floor. Community sites — Penny Pinchin' Mom, The Freebie Guy, and The Krazy Coupon Lady — compile the weekly list from insider tips and shopper reports.
- Penny Pinchin' Mom (pennypinchinmom.com) — list published Monday evenings before Tuesday
- The Freebie Guy (thefreebieguy.com) — weekly list updated before stores open Tuesday
- The Krazy Coupon Lady (thekrazycouponlady.com) — July 2026 list available now
When do new penny items show up each week?
New penny items enter DG's system on Tuesday mornings. Community lists go up Monday evening the night before, so shoppers can plan before the store opens. Early-morning Tuesday trips — before 9 a.m. — find the most items still on the floor. Some items linger at 90% off for one to three weeks before the final drop to $0.01.
Where should you look for penny items in-store?
Seasonal sections, endcaps, and shelves at floor or ceiling level — the spots employees clean least often — are where penny items survive the longest. DG tells stores to pull them, but shelf-dense stores miss items that slide behind other merchandise or get misplaced into a different aisle. The 90% clearance rack is worth checking too: those items are one markdown cycle away.
- Seasonal decor sections — especially right after a major holiday
- Floor-level and overhead shelves, less trafficked than eye-level
- Endcaps and clearance bins at the back of aisles
- Behind newer merchandise where older stock gets pushed back
- The 90%-off clearance rack — one markdown step from penny status
Can the Dollar General app confirm penny prices?
Yes. The DG app lets you scan any item's barcode and see its current price in the store's system before you reach the register. Set your store location in the app before scanning — prices are store-specific, not national. Asking an employee instead is counterproductive: it signals that penny items are still on the floor, which prompts a pull before you can buy anything.
What if an employee refuses to sell a penny item?
DG's internal policy, documented by Penny Pinchin' Mom, instructs employees: if any penny item is identified by a customer, always sell the product to the customer at 1 cent. Stores apply this inconsistently — some associates refuse despite the directive. If that happens, request a manager, show the DG app price scan, and stay calm. The corporate policy is on your side.
What types of items go to a penny most often?
Seasonal and holiday merchandise, toys, home decor, and health and beauty products cycle to penny status most frequently. Items drop after major seasonal transitions — post-Christmas, post-Easter, end-of-summer. DG's house-brand lines, including Clover Valley and DG Health, appear on the list regularly when specific products get discontinued. The Freebie Guy and Penny Pinchin' Mom update the current week's list each Monday evening.
- Seasonal decor and holiday merchandise
- Toys — especially after Christmas and Easter
- Health and beauty — particularly DG Health branded items
- Grocery products — Clover Valley items when SKUs get discontinued
- Home decor and party supplies