As filed with Securities and Exchange Commission on August 20, 2002

                                                      Registration No. 333-80655
================================================================================


                UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

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                         POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1
                                       TO
                                    FORM S-3
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                           DOLLAR GENERAL CORPORATION
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             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


           Tennessee                                        61-0502302
(State or other jurisdiction of                  (I.R.S. employer identification
incorporation or organization)                               number)


                           Dollar General Corporation
                                100 Mission Ridge
                         Goodlettsville, Tennessee 37072
                                 (615) 855-4000
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    (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
                  of registrant's principal executive offices)

                         ______________________________

                 Please address a copy of all communications to:
                                Susan S. Lanigan,
             Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
                           Dollar General Corporation
                                100 Mission Ridge
                         Goodlettsville, Tennessee 37072
                                 (615) 855-4000

 (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
 of agent for service)

                         ______________________________
                                   Copies to:
                               Gregory V. Gooding
                              Debevoise & Plimpton
                                919 Third Avenue
                            New York, New York 10022
                                 (212) 909-6000

         Approximate  date of  commencement  of the proposed sale to the public:
From time to time after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

         If the only securities  being registered on this Form are being offered
pursuant to dividend or interest  reinvestment plans, please check the following
box. |_|

         If any of the  securities  being  registered  on  this  Form  are to be
offered  on a  delayed  or  continuous  basis  pursuant  to Rule 415  under  the
Securities Act of 1933,  other than  securities  offered only in connection with
dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. |_|

         If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering
pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box
and list  the  Securities  Act  registration  statement  number  of the  earlier
effective registration statement for the same offering. |_|

         If this  Form is a  post-effective  amendment  filed  pursuant  to Rule
462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities
Act  registration   statement  number  of  the  earlier  effective  registration
statement for the same  offering.  |_|

         If delivery of the  Prospectus  is expected to be made pursuant to Rule
434, check the following box. |_|

         This Post-Effective Amendment shall become effective in accordance with
Section 8(c) of the  Securities  Act of 1933, on such date as the Securities and
Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(c), may determine.




                          DEREGISTRATION OF SECURITIES

         On June 14, 1999 Dollar General Corporation  ("Dollar General") filed a
registration statement on Form S-3 No. 333-80655 (the "Registration  Statement")
which registered 3,750,000 shares of Dollar General common stock, par value $.50
per share (the  "Common  Stock"),  for sale by Dollar  General  pursuant  to the
Dollar General Direct Stock Purchase Plan, effective June 14, 1999 (the "Plan").
The  Plan  promotes  long-term  ownership  in  Dollar  General  by (i)  offering
shareholders and  non-shareholders a cost-effective  method of purchasing shares
of Dollar General  directly from Dollar General;  (ii) enabling  shareholders to
increase their holdings in Dollar General by reinvesting  their cash  dividends;
and (iii)  enabling  current  participants  of the Plan to  purchase  additional
shares of Dollar General by reinvesting their cash  investments.  404,269 shares
of Common Stock have been sold pursuant to the  Registration  Statement.  Dollar
General  hereby amends the  Registration  Statement to deregister  the 3,345,731
shares of Common Stock that remain unsold pursuant to the Registration Statement
as of the date hereof.




                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act of 1933,  Dollar
General Corporation (i) certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that
it meets all of the requirements for filing this post-effective  amendment No. 1
on Form S-3 and (ii) has duly caused this post-effective  amendment No. 1 to the
registration  statement  on  Form  S-3  to  be  signed  on  its  behalf  by  the
undersigned,  thereunto  duly  authorized,  in the City of  Nashville,  State of
Tennessee, on August 12, 2002.

                                          DOLLAR GENERAL CORPORATION


                                          By:  /s/ Cal Turner
                                               -------------------------------
                                               Name:  Cal Turner
                                               Title:  Chief Executive Officer

     Pursuant  to  the   requirements  of  the  Securities  Act  of  1933,  this
post-effective  amendment  No. 1 to the  registration  statement on Form S-3 has
been  signed  by the  following  persons  in  the  capacities  and on the  dates
indicated.




          Signature                             Title                              Date
          ---------                             -----                              ----

                                                                       
                                     Chairman of the Board and Chief
/s/ Cal Turner                       Executive Officer (Principal
-----------------------------        Executive Officer)                      August 12, 2002
    Cal Turner

/s/ Donald S. Shaffer                President and Chief Operating
-----------------------------        Officer                                 August 12, 2002
    Donald S. Shaffer

/s/ James J. Hagan                   Executive Vice President and Chief
-----------------------------        Financial Officer
   James J. Hagan                    (Principal Financial Officer)           August 12, 2002


/s/ Robert A. Lewis                  Vice President and Controller           August 12, 2002
-----------------------------
    Robert A. Lewis

/s/ David L. Bere
-----------------------------
    David L. Bere                    Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ Dennis C. Bottorff
-----------------------------
    Dennis C. Bottorff               Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ Barbara L. Bowles
-----------------------------
    Barbara L. Bowles                Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ James L. Clayton
-----------------------------
    James L. Clayton                 Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ Reginald D. Dickson
-----------------------------
    Reginald D. Dickson              Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ E. Gordon Gee
-----------------------------
    E. Gordon Gee                    Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ John B. Holland
-----------------------------
    John B. Holland                  Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ Barbara M. Knuckles
-----------------------------
    Barbara M. Knuckles              Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ James D. Robbins
-----------------------------
    James D. Robbins                 Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ David M. Wilds
-----------------------------
    David M. Wilds                   Director                                August 12, 2002


/s/ William S. Wire II
-----------------------------
    William S. Wire II               Director                                August 12, 2002