New Dollar General Website

With the increased use of the internet among the Dollar General shopper, DG has decided to use their website to communicate sweepstakes, offers, and in-store deals. It seems they are even collecting email addresses to start a database. It is a great idea for them to use this untapped resource. With their database, they will be able to send out coupons and hopefully encourage more shoppers to come into the store.

Dollar General Sweepstakes: Win a Fast Million

Dollar General Offers Race Fans a Chance to Win a Fast Million

Grand Prize Winner Will Win an All-Expenses Paid Trip for Two to Miami and the Chance to Win $1 Million

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn., Jun 01, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Dollar General (NYSE:DG) is offering race fans and shoppers alike the opportunity to take a ride on easy street with Win a Fast Million - the sweepstakes that offers one lucky winner the chance to win $1 million. The grand prize winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip for two to attend the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami, Fla. on November 16, 2007 and $10,000 cash. In addition, if the #77 Dollar General car is declared the official winner of the NASCAR Busch Series Ford 300, the winner receives $1 million, which will be awarded in the form of an annuity of $50,000 payable over 20 years.

"Dollar General is committed to providing the best to our customers every day, and we are excited to offer them this opportunity to win fabulous prizes through the Chance to Win a Fast Million sweepstakes," said Rick McNeely, Dollar General's vice president, general merchandise manager. "We encourage everyone to enter the sweepstakes."

In addition to the grand prize, 10 first prize winners will receive a $500 Dollar General gift card; 50 second prize winners will receive a $100 Dollar General gift card; and 100 third prize winners will receive a t-shirt and cap autographed by Bobby Labonte or Kevin Harvick.

The Win a Fast Million sweepstakes kicks off June 1, 2007 and ends October 13, 2007. Entries will be accepted online at www.dollargeneral.com; through the mail by completing an official sweepstakes entry form available at all Dollar General stores beginning June 12, 2007; or by entering at an official kiosk, located at the Dollar General race truck, which will be visiting select NASCAR Series Race Events. For a schedule of participating race events, visit www.dollargeneral.com.


Here is a screen shot of a banner on the Dollar General.com home page, and also a shot of what the sweepstakes page looks like.

Competitive: Family Dollar Store visit

Here are some pictures taken at a recent store visit to Family Dollar. These first 3 are of the expanded food section at Family Dollar.





Family Dollar is really pushing apparel hard. There is signage for Hanes all over the store. Family Dollar has exclusive rights (within the dollar channel) to Hanes.

Doritos & DG promotion

This article was taken from In-store Marketer.

Doritos Picks a Fight with Dollar General

By Jean Luo

Dollar General is helping Frito-Lay select a new flavor for the Doritos brand portfolio.

The "Fight for the Flavor" contest urges shoppers to vote either for Wild White Nacho or Smokin' Cheddar BBQ to join the Doritos lineup. Voters are automatically registered in an instant-win game that awards a year's supply of Doritos (via 52 coupons for single bags) to 10 grand-prize winners and branded T-shirts to 5,000 others.

Floorstands co-branded with the chain's logo instruct shoppers to text-message their votes and proclaim, "For a limited time at Dollar General." (See Image at right.)

Frito-Lay is conducting the campaign nationally by delivering on-pack game codes consumers enter on a special web site. The promotion launched in late February with dedicated TV spots.

In other news, Dollar General reported sales of $9.2 billion for fiscal 2006 (ended 2/2/07), a 6.8% increase from the previous year that includes a 3.3% increase in same-store sales. During the year, the chain opened 537 stores and closed 237, including 128 units shuttered in an initiative to become more strategic about locations. In fourth-quarter 2006, sales increased 3.0% to $2.6 billion as same-store sales rose 5.8%.

Goodlettsville, TN-based Dollar General operates 8,260 stores (as of March 2007). The company was recently acquired for $7.3 billion by equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., which will make it a private entity.

Published: April 2007

Source: In-Store Marketing Institute