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When an item is a surprise penny, this means that the managers do not know about them and it wasn’t on their pull list. Each Tuesday, the managers pull the penny items from the list they receive. By Tuesday morning all the penny items should be removed.
Finding surprise pennies at Dollar General can be both fun and the easiest way to find items at this incredible cheap price. Surprise penny items at Dollar General simply means products that had a regular, half or clearance price is now a penny. According to the rules at DG, the managers are suppose to pull these items and remove them off the floor. Fortunately, store managers who do not know about the penny items or do not pull them can still be purchased by the customer (according to their policy).
Managers are too busy
A surprise penny items are not on the list
Some stores don’t really care
Some are removed but some items can be missed.
For regular penny shopping and (not surprise pennies), stores are often understaffed. I have seen crates of merchandise still in its retainer. Sometimes there is only one or two people in the store working. They do not have enough workers to handle all new items, let alone look for penny items. Lately there have been complaint videos by managers and employees who are just fed up!
There is a higher probability that you will find a surprise penny item than regular penny merchandise. Even in stores that are super neat and remove penny items, when it’s a surprise you can find it there. If managers don’t know about them, they can’t pull it. I have been able to walk into stores that pulls every single penny item on their list, but when it’s a surprise penny, it is easy to find.
The coffee cups were a surprise penny at Dollar General.
I happen to scan the rugs to the right and they were a penny. Sometimes if something looks old, different or you have not seen before, it’s worth scanning.
The Wipe Outs are a recent surprise penny at Dollar General.
Employees are often too overwhelmed to be concerned with pulling penny items. Others are not concern about customers finding penny items. A few managers that I have spoke too are glad to get them out of the store.
It is possible to find penny items in neat and diligently pulled merchandise, but it’s not easy. It takes time and you have to look high up on shelves, and look low. I like to take my time and go through the seasonal items because I have found penny items there. Another place to find penny items is in the clearance section.
For the most part, social media. Someone could be in the store scanning items and one pops up a penny. I use social media to find out about bargains at different stores. To stay in contact it is good to join groups like Telegram, YouTube, and Instagram where people will post something new along with surprise pennies.
Follow Social Media.
Keep a list of clearance items
Keep a list of of seasonal items
Keep a note of things that have symbols that have not pennied yet
Keep a list of items that are now going down in price
Some Youtubers have dedicated their time to scanning upcs to see if any has turned into a penny item. This is the easiest method (although not your own) to find surprise pennies. The key is getting to the store as quickly as you can! It just takes one person to get to the store before you and grab all the items. I have met some really nice penny shoppers and we share or help each other out. According to the policy, the employee is to remove all penny items once it’s discovered. This is why it’s not a bad thing to take them all. You are not being greedy, you just don’t want the stuff to end up in the garbage. You can always give it away or pass it on to other fellow penny shoppers.
Another method to discover unexpected penny items is to keep track of the items in the clearance section. More than likely they will penny. You can just take pictures of the items (along with the upc). Start a list of UPC’s and check them every Tue (this is the day it would penny) I have certain items on there that have been in clearance for awhile. So once it pennies, you can head to the store before it’s announce on social media. Dollar General also has awesome clearance events (click here). The clearance items you purchase is something you should also check. I just items I got from clearance and found that some of them turned to a penny.
Seasonal items like Christmas, New Year and Thanksgiving’s prices will start to decline as soon as the holiday is over. It can start at 25% then 50…..70…..90……then a penny. It varies on how much percentage is off. Social Media will announce when things are going down and when it will penny. In the past, Dollar General has discounted Christmas items to .25 cent each. So I would save a Christmas item UPC to check too. There are some exceptions. Some of their holiday items will not go down in price other than it being on sale. That’s why it’s so important to scan. Learn more about the app and scanning here and Dollar General info page here
I would not wait for these items to penny because more than likely it won’t be any left.
Dollar General labels their items with colored dots, clovers, diamonds etc. (see link).
If you notice any of these in the store, it’s a good thing to save UPCs for them. For example, red and green clover has not pennied yet, but they are at a price reduction. I have seen these items in NCI stores (Dollar General Home stores).
At one point red clover was half off. So if you see any of these items, save the upcs to a list and check weekly. Green square shoes are another item that has not pennied yet but have been discounted. Green square I have seen are the shoes, and sandals. For instance, green square Bobbie Brooks X-Strap sandal Glitter is $3.50 and the upc # is 430001721367. It has been this price for awhile. So, there is a good probability that this will penny at some point. If one green square shoe pennies then most or all will also penny.
Sometimes there are items that you scan that do not have any symbol, but you notice that it is half off. I would also add these to a list along with the name and picture of the product. Surprise pennies can be just about anything that you don’t expect. I have seen appliances like tea kettles go to surprise penny.
I simply keep a notebook I purchased at Dollar General. This book was not a surprise penny, but it was on a list that was schedule to penny. (see finding penny items). So, I snagged several of these books for just 1 cent. I take pictures of the UPCs when I am in store and a picture of the upc number.
Items below are from a previous clearance event at DG. Some of these items could penny so I keep track.
Below is an example of the UPC number which is at the bottom: 430001511241.
This is what you use to scan products on the DG app.
So, as you can see it’s not really hard to find surprise pennies on your own. Maybe you saw something in the store that has dropped in price and you want to add to your own personal list to continue to watch it. Even if it does not surprise penny or is on the regular list of penny items, it may be cheap enough for you to go on and purchase. The key thing is saving money and if you score an item for 1 cent….that’s even better!!!!
NEVER go into the store and ask where are the penny items? Remember they are supposed to pull them. It’s an unspoken rule that you just don’t mention it at all. When I look for penny items, I may see other penny shoppers and we may quietly discuss what we find or what we are looking for.
3 replies on “Finding Surprise Penny Items at Dollar General 2023”
Awesome finds for just a penny! Thanks for sharing!
I’ll have to start keeping my eye out on social media for the surprise penny items, I love finding a good deal!
Thanks.