How to Start Penny Shopping in 2025 – Beginner Guide
Penny shopping is the ultimate hack for extreme savings — and in 2025, it’s more popular than ever. If you’re wondering how to start penny shopping at Dollar General and find items priced at just $0.01, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from the basics to advanced tricks used by expert deal hunters.
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🧾 What Is Penny Shopping?
Penny shopping refers to finding items in a store — primarily Dollar General — that are marked down to just one cent. These products are typically clearance items that should’ve been pulled from shelves by employees but remain available for customers to find and purchase.
🕵️ How Penny Shopping Works
Here’s a quick rundown of the process:
- Items are scheduled for removal from Dollar General shelves.
- Those not pulled get a final price markdown to $0.01 in the system.
- If you find these items and scan them before checkout, they’ll ring up at just a penny.
📅 When Do Penny Items Drop?
Tuesdays are the main penny drop days. Most new lists are released Monday nights by the community and confirmed Tuesday mornings. Some surprise drops can happen on other days, but Tuesdays are your best shot.
📲 What You Need to Start Penny Shopping
- Dollar General App – For barcode scanning and price checking.
- Facebook Groups – To get updated lists (like Glitchndealz).
- Sturdy bag or cart – You’ll want to be able to grab items quickly once spotted.
- Phone with a camera – To reference item visuals and SKU numbers on the go.
👀 How to Spot Penny Items
Penny items often look like normal clearance merchandise. The trick is knowing what to look for. Here are the signs:
- Old packaging or discontinued product versions
- Holiday themes that are clearly out-of-season
- Items marked with dots or symbols like red dots, yellow stars, etc.
- Items listed on a current penny list with matching barcodes
📝 Step-by-Step: How to Penny Shop in 2025
- Check the Weekly Penny List – Available Monday nights from blogs or Facebook groups.
- Download the DG App – Scan barcodes to confirm penny pricing before going to the register.
- Shop Early Tuesday – Be at the store when doors open for best chances.
- Stick to the List – Focus on items confirmed for that week and double-check barcodes.
- Be Discreet – Don’t ask employees about penny items; they’re trained to remove them.
- Checkout with Confidence – If it scans at $0.01, it’s yours to buy!
🤫 Pro Tips for Penny Shopping Success
- Visit rural or lesser-trafficked stores for better odds.
- Scan everything in clearance bins — even the smallest items.
- Organize items by section (home, health, toys) to search faster.
- Follow deal accounts on TikTok or IG for visual ID of items.
🚫 Rules to Follow When Penny Shopping
To avoid problems, it’s important to follow these unspoken rules:
- Don’t ask staff to help you find penny items.
- Don’t argue if something doesn’t scan as a penny.
- Don’t hoard or block aisles from other shoppers.
- Never hide merchandise for later — it’s bad etiquette.
🛍️ What Kind of Items Go for a Penny?
Almost anything can penny out at Dollar General, including:
- Seasonal decorations (Christmas, Halloween, Easter)
- Toys and summer activities
- Health and beauty items
- Snacks and food nearing expiration
- Household goods like candles, décor, towels
📦 What Are Surprise Pennies?
These are items not listed anywhere but scan for $0.01. Shoppers call them “unicorns” and love the thrill of finding them. These can include old clearance left behind, damaged packaging, or rare discontinued products.
💬 Testimonials from New Penny Shoppers
“I found over 30 items my first week – candles, cups, and even makeup! I couldn’t believe they were all just a penny.” – @AmyH
“It’s like a treasure hunt. Once you get the hang of scanning and spotting, it becomes addictive (in a good way)!” – @MarcusP
💡 Don’t Go Alone – Community is Key
The best way to learn quickly and find more penny items is to become part of a group. Members share photos, store locations, SKU numbers, and even receipt screenshots to help each other win big.
🧠 Why Penny Shopping Is So Popular in 2025
As the cost of living continues to rise in 2025, penny shopping has become a trending way for families to cut expenses. With inflation squeezing household budgets, more shoppers are discovering the thrill and practicality of finding everyday items for just a cent. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have further fueled the phenomenon, with creators posting penny hauls and tutorial videos that go viral overnight.
The hashtag #pennyshopping has garnered millions of views, turning what was once a niche hobby into a mainstream savings strategy. For budget-conscious parents, resellers, teachers, and thrifters, penny shopping is more than a trend — it’s a game-changing skill.
🧭 The Best Types of Dollar General Stores for Penny Shopping
Not all Dollar General locations are equal when it comes to penny finds. Here’s a breakdown of the types of stores where penny shoppers usually score big:
- Older Stores: Locations that have been open for several years typically have more inventory that qualifies for markdowns.
- Small-Town Locations: Rural areas often have slower turnover, meaning clearance items stick around longer.
- Overstocked Stores: Locations with large clearance sections or overloaded shelves are more likely to have unpulled penny items.
- Less Staffed Stores: Stores with limited employees might not clear inventory as efficiently, leaving penny items on shelves.
🔎 What Are “Visual Matches” in Penny Shopping?
One of the biggest tools in a penny shopper’s arsenal is learning how to make “visual matches.” This means comparing the physical look of an item in the store with images shared online or in penny shopping groups. Since many discontinued items look similar to current versions, finding visual matches requires attention to detail — packaging color, font styles, product placement, and barcode placement all matter.
Tip: Save images of weekly penny items to your phone in organized folders by category (e.g., food, household, beauty) for quick referencing during store visits.
📋 The Power of Penny Lists – Why They Matter
Weekly penny lists are essential for any shopper wanting to consistently score one-cent items. These lists, often leaked by store insiders or shared by the penny shopping community, highlight which SKUs and product lines are scheduled to drop. Without access to these lists, penny shopping becomes a guessing game.
Here’s why staying up-to-date with weekly lists matters:
- Time Sensitivity: Lists are only valid for a short window before items are pulled or bought out.
- Inventory Shifts: What pennied out last week might not be on shelves anymore.
- Store Variation: Not every store has the same markdowns, so broader lists help cover more ground.
🛑 What NOT to Do When Penny Shopping
To keep the penny shopping community thriving and avoid being flagged by store staff, here are key DON’Ts to remember:
- Don’t Demand Penny Prices: If something scans full price, accept it — no need to argue.
- Don’t Leave a Mess: Always clean up shelves after digging. Being respectful helps keep stores tolerant of penny shoppers.
- Don’t Flash Your Finds: Keep a low profile when checking out. Excessive bragging may alert staff to pull remaining items.
- Don’t Post Local Stores Online: Sharing exact locations may burn good stores by flooding them with new shoppers.
📊 Penny Shopping & Reselling: A Side Hustle Opportunity
Many penny shoppers turn their hauls into side income by reselling unused or new items on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Mercari, and even flea markets. Popular items that resell well include:
- Holiday décor and wrapping supplies
- Name-brand health and beauty products
- Kids’ toys and crafts
- Seasonal home goods and storage containers
💡 Important: Don’t resell expired food or OTC medicines. Always check labels for safety and compliance.
📱 Must-Follow Penny Shopping Apps and Tools
Besides the official Dollar General app, other tools can help track markdowns and organize shopping trips:
- Flip App: Browse local Dollar General circulars and clearance ads.
- Telegram Alerts: Some advanced groups use Telegram for instant penny alerts.
- Barcode Scanner Apps: Use apps like ShopSavvy to double-check barcodes outside DG’s app.
- Notes & Reminders: Organize your penny list, store targets, and app screenshots in a single place.
🕰️ Best Times of Day to Go Penny Shopping
If you want to beat other penny shoppers and get first dibs on the best items, timing is everything. Here’s the breakdown:
- Early Morning (Best): Be at the door by store opening on Tuesdays (usually 8:00 AM local time).
- Mid-Morning (Still Good): By 10:00 AM, most prime inventory is gone in high-traffic areas.
- Evenings (Low Yield): Hit or miss. May work in rural stores that weren’t cleared early in the day.
🚨 Bonus Tip: Watch for Upcoming Seasonal Pennies
Some of the biggest penny drops happen shortly after major holidays and seasonal changes. Here’s a cheat sheet of what to look out for in 2025:
- January: Christmas leftovers, gift wrap, winter socks, gift sets
- April: Valentine’s and Easter clearance, spring décor
- July: Lawn & garden, 4th of July, summer toys
- October: Back-to-school, fall harvest décor, Halloween
- December: Thanksgiving items, early winter gear
📣 Final Words: Start Penny Shopping With Confidence
Now that you’ve learned how to penny shop in 2025, it’s time to take action. Equip yourself with the tools, know-how, and community resources needed to find incredible deals. It may take a few practice runs to land your first big haul, but once you do, it’s addictive (and totally worth it)!
And remember — penny shopping is more than saving money. It’s about empowerment, strategy, and turning everyday shopping into a treasure hunt.
🎯 Don’t miss next week’s penny drop! Join the Glitchndealz Facebook Group for exclusive list access, success stories, and real-time tips.
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