8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549




                                    FORM 8-K

                                 Current Report
                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934


       Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 11, 2002

                           Dollar General Corporation
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               (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)


        Tennessee                       001-11421                61-0502302
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(State or Other Jurisdiction     (Commission File Number)     (I.R.S. Employer
     of Incorporation)                                       Identification No.)


          100 Mission Ridge
     Goodlettsville, Tennessee                                          37072
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                              (Zip Code)

       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (615) 855-4000
                                                           --------------




ITEM 5.  OTHER EVENTS.

On November 11, 2002, the Board of Directors of Dollar General Corporation (the
"Company") appointed Donald S. Shaffer to serve as the interim Chief Executive
Officer of the Company. The disclosure contained in this Form 8-K is qualified
in its entirety by the press release issued by the Company on November 11, 2002,
which such press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99 and incorporated
herein by this reference as if fully set forth herein.

ITEM 7.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND EXHIBITS

         (a)      Financial Statements. None.
         (b)      Pro Form Financial Information.  None.
         (c)      Exhibits.  See Exhibit Index immediately following the
                  signature page hereto.


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                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                                     DOLLAR GENERAL CORPORATION


Date:  November 12, 2002             By:  /s/ Susan S. Lanigan
       -----------------             -------------------------------------------
                                     Susan S. Lanigan
                                     Vice President, General Counsel and
                                     Corporate Secretary

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                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.               Description
- -----------               -----------

    99                    News release dated November 11, 2002



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EX-99

Exhibit 99

Investor Contact:                                            Media Contact:
Emma Jo Kauffman                                             Andrea Ewin Turner
(615) 855-5525                                               (615) 855-5209



DOLLAR GENERAL CORPORATION NAMES DONALD S. SHAFFER ACTING CEO

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (November 11, 2002)--The Board of Directors of Dollar
General Corporation (NYSE: DG), at its regularly scheduled meeting today, named
Donald S. Shaffer as acting CEO of the Company, effective November 12, 2002.
Shaffer will also continue as President and Chief Operating Officer. Cal Turner
will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors. In making the announcement,
Turner said, "Don Shaffer has played a major role in the Company's success.
Naming him to this position is a natural decision for us to make." Turner added,
"The appointment allows the Company to adhere to the provisions of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 which require certification of certain SEC filings by
the principle executive officer of a company. Under the existing Dollar General
structure, the financial reporting and control functions have reported to Don,
so it is appropriate that he certify under Sarbanes."

Donald S. Shaffer joined Dollar General in 2001 as President and Chief Operating
Officer. Shaffer, 59, a 30-year veteran of Sears Roebuck and former CEO of Sears
Canada also served as chief executive of Heilig-Meyers and Western Auto.

In response to the announcement, Shaffer stated, "I am honored to serve as
acting CEO of this Company. Dollar General has a rich retail tradition of
serving the low and middle-income customer. I look forward to helping carry that
forward."

The Company also announced that the screening for a long-term CEO would continue
by the selection committee of the Board with Shaffer being on the list of
qualified candidates. No timetable has been put on this decision.

The review of potential CEO candidates is being managed by Korn/Ferry
International. The search began in September 2002 when Cal Turner, Dollar
General CEO since 1977, announced plans to name a long-term successor. Turner,
62, has been the Company's Chairman since 1989 and has worked for Dollar General
since 1965. The Company was founded by his grandfather, J. L. Turner, and
father, Cal Turner, Sr. in 1939.

Turner has led Dollar General's expansion as one of the country's fastest
growing retailers. In 1977, when Turner became CEO, there were approximately 400
stores with annual sales of $130 million. Today, Dollar General operates over
6,000 stores. Annual sales for the year ended February 1, 2002 were in excess of
$5.3 billion. The Company's web site can be reached at www.dollargeneral.com.

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