DG PENNY SHOPPING

SO IF YOUV’E MADE IT TO THIS POINT YOUR’E EITHER INTERESTED IN LEARNING WHAT PENNY SHOPPING IS OR YOU KNOW ABOUT IT, BUT CAN’T SEEM TO EVER FIND PENNY ITEMS WHEN YOU GO INTO THE STORE. THIS PAGE IS DEDICATED TO TEACHING YOU THE INSIDE KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED TO WALK INTO ANY DOLLAR GENERAL AND SPOT A PENNY ITEM.

•  FIRST THINGS FIRST! YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THE DOLLAR GENERAL APP AND SET UP AN ACCOUNT.

•   ON FACEBOOK THERE ARE TONS OF DOLLAR GENERAL PENNY SHOPPING GROUPS YOU CAN FOLLOW. SCROLL THROUGH THE PAGE, READ THE PINS, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY. JUST LIKE ANYTHING ELSE IN LIFE YOU’LL GET OUT OF IT WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT. LOOK AT PICTURES THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE POSTING TAKE SCREEN SHOTS OF THE ITEMS ALONG WITH THEIR UPC NUMBERS.

•  PEOPLE CONSTANTLY ASK AND WONDER “HOW COME WHEN I SCAN SOMETHING IN THE STORE IT SAYS OUT OF STOCK WHEN ITS IN STOCK” OR “HOW COME IT SAYS THERE IS 20 IN STOCK YET I CAN’T FIND ANY” TO THIS I SAY…. IGNORE THAT WHOLE FEATURE BEACAUSE ITS VERY SELDOM ACCURATE.

•    A PENNY ITEM IS A PRODUCT THAT IS EITHER SEASONAL AND RUNS ITS COURSE OF      MARK DOWNS OR ITS A PRODUCT THAT HAS JUST BEN DISCOUNTINUED. MOST WEEKS THE STORE MANAGERS RECEIVE A LIST WITH DIFFERENT PRODUCTS ALONG WITH THE UPC CODES AND THEY ARE INSTRUCTED TO PULL THESE ITEMS OFF THE FLOOR AND EITHER DISPOSE OF THEM OR SEND THEM BACK TO THE WAREHOUSE

• Most weeks there is a penny list or a mark down list that gets sent to the store managers. They are instructed to remove any penny items off the floor before Tuesday morning. If these items are still on the sales floor or shelves come Tuesday morning go in and scan them. If the scanner read $0.00 or $0.01 that means, it's a penny and you can buy it for that! Just make sure you have your location set to the correct dollar general location. It is also important if you find a penny item you clear the shelf. This is not being greedy this is because once the cashier sees you found penny items they are required to go and pull any remaining off the shelf. Alot of these items especially food items get thrown away. It's frustrating with the number of families struggling to buy groceries watching these stores throw hundreds of dollars of perfectly good food away. SO, CLEAR THE SHELF! Even if it's an item you won't eat or use donate it to your local schools, pantries, women's shelters. These places would be so grateful!!

• ONE OF THE PROBLEMS I SEE A LOT IS PENNY SHOPPERS NOT CHECKING THE UPC CODES TO MAKE SURE THEY MATCH THEN THEY TAKE THE ITEMS TO CHECKOUT (WITHOUT SCANNING THEM FIRST) AND GET FRUSTRATED WHEN THE ITEM RINGS FULL PRICE. I EVEN HEARD A LADY SAY ONE TIME "WELL FACEBOOK SAID IT WAS ON SALE FOR A PENNY" FOR 1. YOU NEVER EVER ASK THE STORE EMPOYEES ABOUT PENNY ITEMS, REMEMBER THESE ARE ITEMS THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO PULL SO THEY ARE NOT GOING TO HELP YOU FIND THEM. NOR CAN THEY OVERRIDE ANY PRICE TO A PENNY. WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE THE PRICE AT THE REGISTER IS ALWAYS CORRECT AND THERES NO ARGUING WITH THE CASHIER. THERE HAS BEEN A FEW TIMES OUT OF THE YEARS OF ME DOING THIS THAT EVEN THOUGH I HAD MY LOCATION CORRECT AND THE UPC CODES MATCHED AND IT EVEN SCANNED A PEWNNY ON THE APP I GOT TO THE REGISTER AND IT RANG UP FULL PRICE OR JUST A DISCOUNTED PRICE. OF COURSE, IM NOT GOING TO BUY THESE ITEMS IF THEY AREN'T A PENNY BUT I'M ALSO NOT GOING TO BE RUDE AND JUST LEAVE A WHOLE CART FULL OF ITEMS FOR THR CASHIER TO PUT AWAY. SO, MY GO TO SAYING IN THESE CASES IS "I'M SO SORRY I THOUGHT THESE WERE ON SALE I'LL BE HAPPY TO PUT THEM BACK EXACTLY WHERE I FOUND THEM." 

• THERE ARE CERTAIN STORES WHERE SLEF CHECKOUT RINGS UP PENNY ITEMS AT FULL PRICE BUT THEY RING A PENNY AT THE CASHIERS REGISTER. SO, IF YOU NOTICE AT SELF CHECKOUT ITS FULL PRICE TRY MOVING OVER TO THE CASHIER AND SEE IF THEY RING A PENNY THERE. I HAVE 2 STORES NEAR BY ME, ONE SLEFCHECKOUT RINGS THEM UP FINE THE OTHER I HAVE TO USE THE REGULAR REGISTER FOR THEM TO RING A PENNY.

• IT IS CORPORATE POLICY THAT IF THE PENNY ITEM IS ON THE SALES FLOOR, THEY MUST SELL IT TO YOU. THE 2 EXCEPTIONS TO THIS IS  1, THE PRODUCT IS EXPIRED OR 2. THE ITEM WAS RECALLED. THEY ARE ALLOWED TO REFUSE SALES FOR THESE 2 REASONS. SOME STORES WILL TRY TO REFUSE TO SELL YOU PENNY ITEMS YOU CAN POLITEY STATE THEIR POLICY TO THEM, BUT IT'S NEVER OK TO ARGUE OR MAKE A SCENE OVER SOME PENNY ITEMS. IF PENNY SHOPPING BECOMES A NUICANCE DOLLAR GENERAL IS LIKEY TO GET RID OF IT ALL TOGETHER. SO WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE JUST BE KIND AND HANDLE THESE DIFFICULT EMPLOYEES WITH GRACE. BE THE BIGGER PERSON AND WALK AWAY.

• STUDY THE SHAPES AND SYMBOLS ON THE PRICE TAG. OFTEN, YOU'LL SEE A SHAPE WITH A CERTAIN COLOR EACH COLOR AND SHAPE MEANS SOMETHING. FOR INSTANCE, A GREY CIRCLE GOES ALONG WITH WINTER APPAREL, RED SQUARE GOES WITH SUMMER ITEMS, YELLOW CIRCLE IS SPRING ACCESSORIES ECT. THESE ARE CONSIDERED SEASONAL ITEMS ALL OTHER PRODUCTS WITHOUT SHAPES AND COLORS ARE CONSIDERED "CORE ITEMS." SEASONAL ITEMS PENNY MORE OFTEN THAN CORE ITEMS DUE TO THEM BEING SEASONAL. YOU'LL NOTICE TOWARDS THE END OF THE SEASON THEY WILL START TO REDUCE THE PRICE. TYPICALLY, IT GOES 50%, 70% THEN 90%. MOST OF THESE ITEMS ARE GONE BY THE TIME IT HITS 90%. TYPICALLY, EACH SALE LASTS ABOUT A WEEK SO AFTER A WEEK AT 90% ANY REMAINING ITEMS WILL MOST LIKELY PENNY THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY.

• ALSO, ON THE TAG YOU WILL SEE A LITTLE BLACK BOX THE WILL SAY SOMETHING LIKE "S23" THE S STANDS FOR SPRING THE 23 IS THE YEAR. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE ALOT OF TIMES YOU'LL WALK INTO THE STORE AND SEE A CERTAIN SHAPE AND COLOR AND YOU KNOW THIS PATICULAR SHAPE AND COLOR JUST PENNIED NOT LONG AGO SO YOU GET EXCITED THINKING YOU JUST HIT THE JACKPOT JUST TO REALIZE THIS IS THE NEW PRODUCTS FOR THE NEW YEAR. SO, WHILE "S22" RED DOT ITEMS MIGHT BE A PENNY THE "S23" RED DOT ITEMS ARE THE NEW INVENTORY AND WILL BE FULL PRICE. LOOK ONLINE AND FIND THE DOLLAR GENERAL COLOR/SHAPE CHART TO GET A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE STAND FOR.

• THERE ARE ALSO "REMODELS" THESE ARE STORES THAT WILL BE CLOSING TEMPORARILY TO REMODEL IF YOU CAN FIND OUT THE EXACT DATE, THEY PLAN TO CLOSE THEN YOU WANT TO GO THE SUNDAY BEFORE ITS DUE TO CLOSE! THIS IS THE DAY HUNDREDS OF ITEMS WILL BE MARKED DOWN TO A PENNY. REMODELS ARE NOT FOR THE WEAK LOL I SAY THIS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN TO A FEW AND THOUGHT IF I GOT THERE 30 MINS EARLY, I'D BE GOOD.... BOY, WAS I WRONG THERE WAS PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY CAMPED OUT IN FRONT OF THE STORE, SOME PEOPLE CAME HOURS AWAY TO BE THERE. SOME PEOPLE WERE ACTING COMPLETLEY FERREL BANGING THEIR CARTS AGAINST THE DOOR BECAUSE THE CASHIER WAS 1 MINUTE LATE OPENING THE DOORS, PEOPLE WERE CLIMBING ON TOP OF THE SHELVES, BLOCKING THE ISLES SO NO ONE ELSE COULD GET THROUGH THEM, THROWING ITEMS THAT DIDN'T SCAN A PENNY ON THE FLOOR. THE POOR CASHIERS LOOKED TERRIFIED! I WENT OUT AND SAT IN MY CAR AND WAITED TO THE CROWD TO GET DONE THEN I WENT IN ANDHELPED CLEAN UP FIRST AND THEN WENT LOOKING FOR ANY ITEMS MISSED BY OTHER PEOPLE, WHICH I DID FIND SOME PRETTY GOOD ITEMS.  THE CASHIERS WERE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE HELP OF CLEANING UP THE STORES THEY REWARDED ME WITH A BASKETFULL OF ITEMS THEY PULLED EARLIER. IT PAYS TO BE KIND! THE NEXT TIME I WENT TO A REMODEL I GOT THERE 2 HOURS EARLY AND STILL HAD ABOUT 10 PEOPLE AHEAD OF ME IN LINE. THIS REMODEL WENT A LOT SMOOTHER PEOPLE DIDNT ACT AS CRAZY AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE LEFT THERE WITH A CART FULL OF ITEMS FOR A PENNY A PIECE. MY LAST REMODEL WAS THE BEST BY FAR. I SHOWED UP A FEW HOURS EARLY THINKING SURELY THERE WOULD ALREADY BE A LINE AND TO MY SURPRISE THERE WAS ONLY ONE PERSON THERE.  THE CLOSER IT CAME TO OPENING ONLY A COUPLE OTHER CARS PULLED UP. THE CASHIER DIDNT EVEN KNOW ABOUT THAT MORNING BEING THE MORNING EVERYTHING WOULD PENNY SO NOTHING GOT PULLED! THERE WAS MAYBE A TOTAL OF 7 OF US WHEN THE DOORS OPENED AND I MADE OUT WITH A CART OVERFLOWING WITH ITEMS ALONG WITH 3 BASKETS. MOSTLY CLOTHES AND SHOES AND KITCHEN ITEMS. I WAS ABLE TO DONATE ALOT OF THESE ITEMS TO PEOPLE IN NEED AND EVEN SENDING A SUITCASE FULL FOR WHEN MY AUNT VISITED THE PHILLIPINES. 

• YOU CAN TYPICALLY TELL WHEN A STORE IS ABOUT TO REMODEL BECAUSE THEY HAVE ORANGE SALE TAGS ON ALMOST EVERY PRODUCT. THEY WANT TO MOVE AS MUCH PRODUCT OUT AS POSSIBLE BEFORE REMODELING. USUALLY, THE ITEMS THAT HAVE THE ORANGE SALES TAG WILL BE THE ITEMS THAT PENNY COME THE SUNDAY BEFORE SHUT DOWN. YOU CAN ALSO LOOK ON THE APP AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND LOOK UP CERTAIN ITEMS (THESE ARE ITEMS THAT PENNY 99% OF THE TIME AT REMODELS IF YOU SEE MOST OF THESE ITEMS ARE MARKED DOWN THATS A GOOD INDICATOR A STORE IS ABOUT TO REMODEL. WHAT YOU'LL WANT TO DO IS EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT STAY UP UNTIL ABOUT 1-2AM SUNDAY MORNING AND LOOK THESE ITEMS UP AND SEE IF THEY PENNIED IF THEY DID YOU KNOW IT'S GO TIME AND YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR WAY TO THAT LOCATION. 

• IN CLOSING MY BEST ADVICE IS JUST KEEP DOING YOUR RESEARCH! STICK WITH IT AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GO INTO ANY STORE AND SPOT A PENNY ITEM. IT'S THE ULTIMATE TREASURE HUNT AND CAN BE LOT'S OF FUN! GOOD LUCK TO YOU!