The Top 5 Dollar General Tips For First-Time Shoppers

Dollar General, a chain of discount retail stores, first came about in Kentucky in 1955. Over the decades, it has evolved and become a household name with easy-to-spot yellow and black signs. While it has the word "dollar" in its name, don't dismiss this retailer as being just a run-of-the-mill dollar store. For starters, DG sells many items that are priced well over a dollar, but in contrast to regular dollar stores, you can find a lot of high-quality, name-brand items here on top of its $1 Every Day products that are reliably priced to save you a bundle.

You may be used to just walking into any bargain retailer and finding all sorts of deals, and you can do just the same at Dollar General, too. However, you may be missing out on some important details that will enhance your shopping experience and save you a lot of money. These five tips below will help you make the most of your Dollar General excursion, especially if it's your first time visiting this Southern institution. Armed with this advice, you may need to grab an extra shopping cart for all the extra bargains you'll find.

The DG website will give you a good feel of what is available in stores, and you can view items in a variety of categories from school supplies and food to cleaning products and cookware finds you can't miss. You can adjust the filters to specify items that are available at your nearest Dollar General location, and the website may even suggest stores where an item is in stock if it's sold out near you. It may even mention how many are available. You can even read reviews to avoid some less desirable purchases or find products you may have never considered buying before.

The website also publishes weekly ads, so you know what's on sale or what promotions you can take advantage of. Additionally, you can check for coupons online, including buy-one-get-one deals and cash-back offers. And if you don't want to visit a store, you can even opt to order items through the site and have them delivered to you.

Dollar General has a free membership club that takes a couple of minutes to join and only requires your email address and phone number. You can access it on the website or on the DG app (more on that later), and it gives you access to the same online coupons, which you can now save to your MyDG wallet. By opting to receive email or text messages, you'll also get informed of upcoming inventory and deals to plan your next shopping trip. Furthermore, you'll get personalized promotions sent to you along with a special birthday gift. You may even get a coupon when you first sign up, like free delivery, which may not be available to non-members.

The Dollar General App is available for Android and iOS and is a great way to access many of the features you can find on the website. You can use it as a guest, although you should log in with your MyDG account or create one when you download the app for the best user experience. After connecting to GPS, it can automatically show you the nearest DG locations no matter where you are. You can also quickly access all the digital coupons you clipped and simply show them on your phone when you check out.

The best features of this app require you to connect to Bluetooth, though, which will allow your phone to scan barcodes in store. Not only can you find prices on items that may not have tags, but you can also discover whether a particular product has been marked down. It's an invaluable tool for helping you find Penny Deals, which are items that are marked down to one cent but are never advertised. Perhaps the niftiest Bluetooth feature of this app is that you can scan items to your digital shopping cart and instantly transfer them to a self-checkout or digital checkout POS.

To get the best deal, you should always start looking at items that have been marked down before perusing regularly priced wares; these can sell fast. You may not find a clearly labeled, dedicated clearance section here as you might encounter at other retailers, but keep an eye out for shelf tags that advertise a significant markdown on certain items. Another good indicator that you've found clearance items is when a bunch of unrelated items, like beauty products, toys, foods, and stationery, are all in the same place.

Finally, make sure to check seasonal items, like festive merchandise, especially after the holidays. DG doesn't like to hold onto these products for too long, so it will keep discounting them further until they only cost a penny. Just keep in mind that these clearance items are not advertised online and may be unique to each store. Also remember to use your handy Dollar General app to scan barcodes and double-check prices.

Dollar General sells a lot of major brand-name items at great prices, but it also has several in-house brands that feature great prices on household staples. The Clover Valley brand, for example, includes a line of spices that can cost as little as $1 and features standard pantry essentials like garlic powder and Italian seasoning, along with more unique options, like soul food seasoning. The Smart&Simple line can be your go-to source for very affordable necessities, like trash bags, freezer bags, paper napkins, and disposable tableware, and many items are also priced at a dollar. DG also has in-house brands featuring personal care items, over-the-counter medicines, and even pet food.