September 24, 2002

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG) announced a series of officer-level promotions in the human resources, merchandising support and transportation departments. They are as follows:

• Melissa Buffington has been promoted to senior vice president of human development and planning;

• Jeff Rice has been promoted to vice president of human resources;

• Rita Branham has been promoted to vice president of merchandise support; and

• Tony Davis has been promoted to vice president of transportation.

Dollar General Chairman and CEO Cal Turner made the announcement saying, "I am privileged to announce this round of promotions and acknowledge the accomplishments of these individuals and their contributions to our company's success."

"With demonstrated success at the executive level, Melissa is a solid fit in this new role," Turner stated, "and with tried-and-true experience in strategic planning, communications and human resources management, she has the skills needed to face the toughest development and planning challenges."

Ms. Buffington, 45, joined Dollar General in 1999 as vice president of corporate human resources. Most recently she held the position of vice president and chief administrative officer. Prior to joining the company, she served as executive vice president of human resources for First American Corporation. In addition, she served as senior vice president of quality management and vice president of strategic planning during her tenure at First American.

"Jeff is an outstanding achiever who demonstrates strong loyalty to the company and its leadership," said Turner. "He has proven ability in human resources management and excels in defining, measuring and increasing productivity while maintaining high morale."

Mr. Rice, 38, has been an employee of the company for 21 years, serving most recently as senior director of compensation, employee relations and human resources. In 1987, Mr. Rice joined the human resources department as assistant to the vice president of human resources. Over the next nine years, Mr. Rice served in various management positions in human resources before being promoted to director of human resources in 1996.

"Rita has the heart and soul of a merchandiser, which makes her the very best at merchandising support," stated Turner. "She has continued to raise the bar with numerous accomplishments during her 21 years with Dollar General."

Ms. Branham, 42, joined the company in July 1981 as a drop shipment clerk and continued working in the accounting department in various positions until 1985 when she was promoted to a buyer's assistant in the merchandising department. She was steadily promoted in the department over the next 17 years before attaining the position divisional merchandise manager in 1997. In 2000, she was promoted to general merchandise manager, the position she held immediately prior to her current position.

"In three short years, Tony Davis has truly been a dynamic leader," Turner said. "He has successfully defined objectives and marshaled all resources to attain them."

Mr. Davis, 42, joined Dollar General in 1999 as director of transportation. Prior to joining the company, he was vice president of transportation for Service Merchandise. Mr. Davis' career with Service Merchandise spanned more than 13 years where he held various director-level transportation positions.

As of August 2, 2002, Dollar General operated 5,891 neighborhood stores in 27 states with distribution centers in Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and Virginia.

SOURCE Dollar General Corporation

/CONTACT: investors, Emma Jo Kauffman, +1-615-855-5525, or media, Andrea Ewin Turner, +1-615-855-5209, both of Dollar General Corporation/