If you've been watching for the Dollar General 25 Cent Sale to start, you're not alone — and it looks like we'll all be waiting a bit longer. After the Target Christmas Clearance and Hobby Lobby Christmas Clearance sales have wrapped up, Dollar General's highly anticipated post-holiday sale is usually the final stop. But this year, it's running later than expected.
We're now predicting the sale will kick off in early February, about two weeks later than usual. When it does arrive, Dollar General will do massive in-store markdowns on the majority of their remaining holiday inventory. And by massive markdowns, I mean most everything Christmas-related goes to $0.25, even things like bath and beauty sets.
Additional markdowns happen a week later, knocking prices down to just $0.10. And by mid-February, most Christmas inventory that's remaining gets marked down to just $0.01 (and appears on the Dollar General Penny List).
But not everything's included in the Dollar General 25 Cent Sale, and you'll need to be quick about it, since inventory can be limited by the time the sale finally rolls around.
Dollar General's 25 Cent Sale is an annual in-store event where most Christmas items get marked down to $0.25.
To clear out remaining holiday inventory, Dollar General always hosts a big in-store markdown event where the majority of Christmas items go to $0.25 (then $0.10 after about a week, if stock still remains). Another week later, the items appear on the Dollar General Penny List for $0.01.
The sale includes seasonal items like holiday-themed candy, air fresheners, home decor, baking sets, apparel, and party supplies. Even bath and beauty gift sets get included in the sale.
KCL predicts the Dollar General $0.25 Sale will start on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
Dollar General hasn't announced the start date for the next 25 Cent Sale (they never do ahead of time), but we expect it will kick off in stores on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
The $0.25 markdowns typically stick around for about a week; then they drop to $0.10 for a week before they eventually hit the Dollar General Penny List in mid-February.
How do we make our prediction?
Tuesday is the day that Dollar General stores always mark down their items, and the $0.25 Christmas Sale at Dollar General typically starts on the third or fourth Tuesday in January. But in 2026, it appears that the usual markdown schedule is delayed by about two weeks (holiday items are currently at 70% off).
Here are the past dates we've tracked for the Dollar General $0.25 Sale:
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Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 (third Tuesday of the month)
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Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 (fourth Tuesday of the month)
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Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023 (fourth Tuesday of the month)
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Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022 (third Tuesday of the month)
What to Look for During the 2026 Dollar General 25 Cent Sale
Based on Dollar General's current markdown list (shared on Jan. 20, 2026), here's what we expect will be included in the upcoming sale:
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Christmas Apparel and Socks — look for slippers, leggings, socks
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Christmas Home and Seasonal — look for pillows, mugs, tumblers, decor, throws
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Christmas Stationery and Party — look for paper plates, paper cups, napkins
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Christmas Candy — look for Pirouline wafers, limited-edition holiday Oreos, Mascot peanut brittle, popcorn tins
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Holiday Air Care — look for holiday scents from Febreze, Air Wick, and Glade
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Holiday Baking — look for Betty Crocker baking items, Clover Valley products, Stove Top stuffing, select Jell-O mixes, Toll House white morsels, Baker's Sweetened Coconut
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Holiday Picnic — look for holiday-themed Dixie paper plates and bowls
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Select Bath and Beauty Gift Sets — look for holiday-scented Dove body wash and body scrub
Tips for Shopping the Dollar General 25 Cent Sale
Get to the store early on the first day because holiday items clear out fast.
By the time this sale rolls around in late January, holiday inventory will be very limited, so you may need to visit multiple Dollar General stores in order to scope out the selection in advance.
I highly recommend getting there as soon as the store opens on the first day of the sale, as the event is very popular in the couponing community.
Look for the biggest savings on holiday home decor, air fresheners, matching family pajamas, and gift box sets.
Since everything holiday gets marked down to $0.25 or less during this sale, you'll save the most if you go for the pricier items like home decor and pillows, inflatables (normally $10 - $30), gift box sets, family PJ's, and air fresheners from brands like Glade and Air Wick.
A few Christmas items are excluded from this sale (like totes, lights, trees, and gift wrap).
Keep the list of exclusions in mind so you don't run into anything unexpected at checkout. The $0.25 Sale always excludes "holiday plastics," which refers to items like storage totes, gift wrap organizers, and tree bags — plus a few other items like holiday trees, lights, and gift wrap.
To confirm sale prices, use the DG app while you're shopping in-store.
To make sure an item is included in the $0.25 sale, just open the DG app (iOS/Android) and scan the item's barcode with the scanner tool. That way, you don't run the risk of an item ringing up full price when it's time to check out.
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