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Retailer guide · Dollar General

How to Become a Dollar General Supplier

Dollar General has more stores than any other U.S. retailer, and most of its sales are consumables. Its Clover Valley private brand is one of the largest in value retail.

$42.7B
net sales, FY2025
$2.3B+
Clover Valley alone (FY2023)
21,000+
stores in 48 states
82%
of sales are consumables
48 states, mostly small towns34 DCs nationwide
AKAKME — storesMEVT — storesVTNH — storesNHWA — storesWAID — storesIDMT — storesMTND — storesNDMN — storesMNIL — storesILWI — storesWIMI — storesMINY — storesNYRI — storesRIMA — storesMAOR — storesORNV — storesNVWY — storesWYSD — storesSDIA — storesIAIN — storesINOH — storesOHPA — storesPANJ — storesNJCT — storesCTCA — storesCAUT — storesUTCO — storesCONE — storesNEMO — storesMOKY — storesKYWV — storesWVVA — storesVAMD — storesMDDE — storesDEAZ — storesAZNM — storesNMKS — storesKSAR — storesARTN — storesTNNC — storesNCSC — storesSCDCDCOK — storesOKLA — storesLAMS — storesMSAL — storesALGA — storesGAHIHITX — storesTXFL — storesFL

Figures are PLAID Grocery estimates based on public sources (see Sources below), rounded and as of October 2026.

Why Dollar General matters

Dollar General operates more than 21,000 stores in 48 states and Mexico, and consumables make up more than 80% of its sales. Its food private brand, Clover Valley, spanned 600+ items as of early 2025, and more than half of Dollar General baskets include a private brand item.

Dollar General is also investing in its existing fleet, with thousands of store remodels planned in 2026. Stores are spread across 48 states — mostly in small towns — and supplied from 34 distribution centers nationwide.

Price points drive everything

Most items at Dollar General sell for $10 or less, and roughly 2,000 sell for $1 or less. Winning suppliers engineer the pack size to the price point — not the other way around.

What it's like to supply Dollar General

  • Branded and private label opportunities. Dollar General buys both, so there is more than one way in.
  • A fee structure with nuance. Allowances, chargebacks and post-audit deductions — which can arrive up to two years after a shipment — all need to be built into your pricing.
  • Live bidding. In our experience, Dollar General negotiations can include live bidding events, so know your floor price before you walk in.
  • High volumes. A 20,000-plus store chain moves serious units.
  • Low innovation opportunity. Dollar General wins on price and convenience, not newness.

What Dollar General will ask for

  • EDI: vendors receiving EDI purchase orders must send EDI invoices, and payment follows a three-way match of order, DC receipt and invoice.
  • Strict logistics compliance. Chargebacks can reach $1,000 per violation — for example, $1,000 for a wrong UPC and $375 for a missed appointment or short shipment.
  • Delivery into Dollar General's network of 34 distribution centers, including refrigerated facilities.
  • Expect third-party food safety certification and insurance requirements to be confirmed during vendor setup.

Where suppliers stumble

Chargebacks quietly erase margin for suppliers that aren't set up for Dollar General's routing, labeling and invoicing rules. The cost model has to include compliance — not just the product.

Prep list

Is Dollar General a good fit for you?

If you can check most of these, Dollar General is worth a serious look. If you can't, it's usually fixable — and that's where we come in.

  • A pack size and cost that work at Dollar General's price points ($1, and $10 or less)
  • Capacity to support a 21,000-store chain, or a clear plan for a regional start
  • Retail EDI (purchase orders and invoices) in place
  • Routing, labeling and appointment discipline to avoid chargebacks
  • Third-party food safety certification and a current certificate of insurance
  • High fill rates and in-stock reliability
  • A cost build that includes compliance costs, not just ingredients and packaging

Think Dollar General might be a good fit?

PLAID Grocery was founded by buyers. We'll tell you, honestly, where you fit with Dollar General and what it will take — then help you build the cost model, prepare for the buyer and win the business.

Request a Consultation
Sources (reviewed October 2026)

More retailer guides: ALDI · Lidl · Trader Joe's · H-E-B · Dollar Tree · Family Dollar · All guides

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