Dollar General Haul! New & Fun Dollar General Food We Spotted

I recently walked into a Dollar General for the first time… ever. Yes, it’s true; I’ve been a Dollar General virgin my whole life. No, it’s not because I don’t shop at dollar stores—I’m a frequent patron at my local Dollar Tree. We just don’t have them in California, and even though I grew up in one of the 48 states where you can find a Dollar General (get with the program, CA), you don’t get to choose your closest dollar store. Your closest dollar store chooses you. And as I soon discovered, Dollar General food is its own unique beast—packed with budget-friendly name brands, unexpected finds, and some truly fascinating private-label products.

In fact, I got the vibe of the place pretty quick. Where Dollar Tree is a treasure trove of popular but picked-over snacks and seasonal decorations, Dollar General has cramped aisles of budget-friendly name brands and some niche products I’ve never seen before (like their very own private-label cans of evaporated milk… which is interesting). Those bright yellow tags kept me locked in. I felt like a bumble bee going from flower to flower. It was overwhelming—in a good way. 

Anyways, here are five things worth mentioning from my first (and hopefully not last) Dollar General haul, from new products to fun seasonal items and cool Dollar General foods from their private label brand. Enjoy!

New to Dollar General: Gatorade Lightning Blast

Lightning Blast was released as a Circle-K exclusive Gatorade flavor last summer, but hey, now you can find it at Dollar General! (And Walmart. But that shouldn’t take away from the excitement I felt seeing them at DG, okay? It’s the little things in life.) Further proof that you don’t really know what you’re going to find at Dollar General. 

Read our ranking of the best Gatorade flavors

Seasonal Product: SweeTARTS Easter Jelly Beans

Oh, looky here, one of our favorite Easter candies sitting nice and cheap ($3.25) on the seasonal shelf? Actually, to be transparent, we couldn’t decide if we loved or hated these SweeTARTS Jelly Beans when we tried them. To quote ourselves: “They are WEIRD… like a SweeTART wrapped around a jelly bean center.” We decided we loved them, though. And I think it’s in the spirit of Dollar General that our strangest, most controversial Easter candy pick is the only one from that ranking I could find at their store. That just fits the general vibe of the eclectic, no-rules universe of Dollar General.

Good Deal: Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil (24 oz)

Cheap olive oil is a well-known dollar store hack, so I was happy to see Dollar General delivering on that front. When I spotted a 24-ounce bottle of Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil for $11.50 (yes, a full 24 ounces), I had to compare. I checked prices at Walmart and even other dollar stores, and from what I can tell, this is the cheapest deal you can find on a big bottle of Pompeian olive oil. 

Read our ranking of the best olive oil

Brand New Private Label Product: Clover Valley Honey Mustard

Clover Valley is Dollar General’s private label… and I’m ashamed to admit I knew nothing about it until I started perusing the aisles for my Dollar General haul. This honey mustard is a brand new DG product and only $1.50, which is even cheaper than Walmart’s Great Value brand. Honey mustard is far from the most exciting new Dollar General food to come out this year—they’re also releasing Clover Valley blue cheese, eight new Clover Valley ice cream flavors—but this is the only one I spotted with my own two eyeballs. (Someone needs to try those ice creams though, stat.)

Read our ranking of the best honey mustard

What I Couldn’t Leave Without: Sonic Tots

Your first stop at a dollar store can say a lot about you. Some people beeline to the snacks. Some go straight for the beverage fridge, mesmerized by the pretty cans and colors. Me? I’m a frozen goodies kinda girl. I need to see what kind of deep-fried contraband we’re working with. I’m talking about those savory, sodium-loaded frozen sides that are probably illegal to sell in some of the more health-conscious countries. And the frozen Dollar General food selection is pretty elite—I spotted Sonic Tots, Checkers Famous Fries, and Arby’s Curly Fries all on one shelf. The golden trio, the unholy trinity. It was a tough call, but I had to leave with the tots. 

Read our ranking of the best tater tots