If you shop at Dollar General you may have noticed that Dollar General Tags have colored symbols on them. These can be stars, dots, squares in colors like yellow, brown, grey and more. What you may be wondering is what the heck these symbols mean, We have all the info you need to know on what these symbols mean.
Symbol and Color tags symbolize what season and sometimes department these items belong to. This is a way to organize these items for where they go in the store, clearance, and even penny items. You will often see a sign that says 50% off Summer Brown Dot Items. You will look for the summer items that have the brown dot . See below an example of the signs you will see hanging in the store. Most of the time it will be pretty specific like 50% off Brown Dot Home, so you will look for the brown dots on the price tags and look for home items, pillows, decor etc. Items with shapes/colors are considered NON CORE items, which mean these are items that are seasonal and not kept in the store year round. You will see items in the stores that have no shape or color etc, these symbolize core items, year round store items and are normally kept in a specific place. Seasonal or non core items normally have a special place in the store.
Symbol and color tags show what season — and sometimes what department — an item belongs to. Dollar General uses these tags to organize products throughout the store, including where items are placed, when they go on clearance, and when they may even become penny items.
You’ll often see signs in the store that say things like “50% off Summer Brown Dot items.” When you see a sign like this, you’ll look for summer items with a brown dot on the price tag.
Many times, the signage is very specific — for example, “50% off Brown Dot Home.” In that case, you’ll want to look for brown dots on the tags of home items such as pillows, décor, and similar products.
Items with shapes or colors on the tag are considered NON-CORE items, meaning they are seasonal and not carried in the store year-round.
Items that do not have a shape or color on the tag are considered CORE items. These are everyday, year-round products and are usually kept in a consistent location within the store.
Seasonal or non-core items are typically displayed in designated areas of the store that may change throughout the year.
Dollar General tag abbreviations indicate the season an item belongs to and help the store organize seasonal merchandise. These abbreviations are found on the price tag and work together with the symbol and color to identify when an item was set, how it will be marked down, and when it may move to clearance or penny status. For example, SP represents Spring, SS means Spring/Summer, S stands for Summer, BTS is Back to School, F indicates Fall, and FW represents Fall/Winter. Learning these abbreviations makes it easier to understand clearance signage, locate discounted items, and identify seasonal merchandise while penny shopping at Dollar General.
Why This Matters for Penny Shopping
Understanding how to read Dollar General tags is extremely important because you must be able to match the correct items to the correct symbols, colors, and seasons. Penny items don’t happen by accident — they follow a predictable markdown path based on these tags.
Dollar General penny items almost always start as:
- Seasonal items
- Non-core merchandise
- Items marked with specific symbols or colors
As a season comes to an end, Dollar General gradually marks these tagged items down:
- 25% off
- 50% off
- 70% off
- 90% off
- And eventually → $0.01 (a penny)
When shopping at Dollar General, always pay close attention to shelf tags—especially those with older dates. Outdated tags can sometimes signal discontinued or overlooked items that may have been marked down beyond what’s shown on the shelf. This is why it’s so important to scan, scan, scan using the Dollar General app. While an item may appear full price or clearance on the shelf, scanning can reveal a surprise price drop—including the possibility of a hidden penny item. Penny items are never advertised and can vary by store, so scanning is the only reliable way to uncover these rare finds before heading to the register.
Knowing which symbols, colors, and abbreviations are tied to seasonal merchandise allows you to track markdowns, match items to store signage, and predict which items may penny next. This is one of the most important skills for successful Dollar General penny shopping.
