Dollar general penny sale free box of chips with purchase

1. What the penny sale actually is — a retailer cleanup, not a public deal

Dollar General’s “penny items” are products that have been deeply marked down (to $0.01) in the system as a way to flag items for removal from sales floors; when employees miss pulling them, customers sometimes find and buy them at the penny price. Couponing sites describe penny lists as items intentionally reduced to one cent so staff will remove them, not as a customer-facing promotion ^{[5] [6]}.

2. How shoppers find penny items — community lists and scanner checks

Independent couponing and deal sites compile and publish weekly penny lists — typically posted Monday/Tuesday for markdowns that go live Tuesday — and shoppers use those lists plus in-store price scanners (including the Dollar General app) to confirm items ring at $0.01 at checkout ^{[5] [2] [7]}. These sites say the lists change weekly and stress verifying price in-store because markdowns vary by location and timing ^{[5] [8]}.

3. The “free box of chips with purchase” angle — not found in current reporting

Available sources do not mention a standardized Dollar General promotion that gives a free box of chips with purchase tied to penny items. The provided reporting focuses on individual penny items (often one-cent marked products) and broader clearance events; there is no mention of a chainwide “buy X, get a free chips box” offer in these sources ^{[1] [9]}. If you saw a social post claiming a free box of chips with a purchase, the claim is not documented in the supplied deal guides.

4. Rules, etiquette and retailer response — don’t involve staff; verify by scanning

Deal sites repeatedly advise shoppers not to ask employees about penny items and not to call corporate, because these items are meant to have been removed and employees won’t be able to help; instead, they recommend using the DG app barcode scanner and arriving early ^{[3] [4] [10]}. These recommendations reflect the fact penny items are essentially inventory clean-up actions rather than advertised promotions ^[10].

5. Timing and strategy — when to look and what to expect

Penny lists are typically posted Thursday–Monday on couponing sites and the markdowns usually take effect the following Tuesday; shoppers who want a chance at penny finds are advised to check lists each week, go early, and be prepared for items to be gone quickly because inventory and employee action are inconsistent ^{[8] [5] [2]}. Clearance events (e.g., mid-November 2025 events) can coincide with penny items and produce additional marked-down inventory ^[9].

6. Why third‑party sites publish these lists — incentives and transparency

Sites like The Krazy Coupon Lady, Crazy for Couponing, The Freebie Guy and others publish penny lists and tips to attract readers and build communities of deal hunters; they also monetize traffic and apps while offering practical advice ^{[5] [1] [3]}. Their guides are explicit about the unofficial nature of penny shopping and often include caveats and scanning tips to reduce confrontations with store staff ^{[3] [4]}.

7. Practical takeaway and cautious guidance

If you want to try penny shopping, follow published weekly lists, use the Dollar General app barcode scanner to confirm prices in-store, avoid asking staff about penny items, and understand these are sporadic clearance markdowns—not advertised “free with purchase” deals—so availability is unpredictable and varies by store ^{[2] [4] [5]}. If you saw a claim about a free box of chips with purchase, that specific promotion is not documented in the sources provided ^{[1] [9]}.

Limitations: this summary relies only on independent couponing and deal websites in the provided results; official Dollar General corporate policy statements were not among the supplied sources, so any corporate-side explanations or program confirmations are not covered here ^{[5] [3]}.