U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549

                                     FORM 4

                  STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

    Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
       Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
               Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

[_]  Check box if no longer  subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations
     may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

________________________________________________________________________________
1.   Name and Address of Reporting Person*

                                Turner, James S.
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   (Last)                           (First)             (Middle)

                               100 Mission Ridge
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                                    (Street)

                            Goodlettsville, TN 37072
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   (City)                           (State)              (Zip)


________________________________________________________________________________
2.   Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol

                        DOLLAR GENERAL CORPORATION "DG"
________________________________________________________________________________
3.   IRS Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an Entity (Voluntary)


________________________________________________________________________________
4.   Statement for Month/Year

                                 May, 2001
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5.   If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)


________________________________________________________________________________
6.   Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer
     (Check all applicable)

     [_]  Director                             [X]  10% Owner
     [_]  Officer (give title below)           [_]  Other (specify below)


________________________________________________________________________________
7.   Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check applicable line)

     [X]  Form filed by one Reporting Person
     [_]  Form filed by more than one Reporting Person
________________________________________________________________________________



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           Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of,
                             or Beneficially Owned
================================================================================


                                                                                                                6.
                                                                 4.                               5.            Owner-
                                                                 Securities Acquired (A) or       Amount of     ship
                                                    3.           Disposed of (D)                  Securities    Form:     7.
                                                    Transaction  (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)              Beneficially  Direct    Nature of
                                      2.            Code         -------------------------------  Owned at End  (D) or    Indirect
1.                                    Transaction   (Instr. 8)                   (A)              of Month      Indirect  Beneficial
Title of Security                     Date          ------------     Amount      or     Price     (Instr. 3     (I)       Ownership
(Instr. 3)                            (mm/dd/yy)     Code     V                  (D)              and 4)        (Instr.4) (Instr. 4)
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Common Stock                                                                                       1,356,714    D
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Common Stock                                                                                          56,445    I         Spouse
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Common Stock                          5/10/01        J(1)           16,439,246   D      (1)       33,625,784    I         CO-TTEE
                                                                                                                            TCT
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Common Stock                                                                                       1,293,620    I         CO-TTEE
                                                                                                                           HCT TR
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Common Stock                                                                                       1,531,180    I         CO-TTEE
                                                                                                                           JST TR
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Common Stock                                                                                       1,881,036    I         CO-TTEE
                                                                                                                          LJTO TR
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Common Stock                                                                                       1,881,513    I         CU-TTEE
                                                                                                                          ETC TR

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Common Stock                                                                                         272,779    I         CO-TTEE
                                                                                                                          DUGAS TR
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Common Stock                                                                                              82    I         CO-EXEC
                                                                                                                          CTS ESTATE
====================================================================================================================================
(1) See attached sheet


*    If the Form is filed by more than one  Reporting  Person,  see  Instruction
     4(b)(v).

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
          owned directly or indirectly.

                            (Print or Type Responses)
                                                                          (Over)
(Form 4-07/99)




FORM 4 (continued)

Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
         (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

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                                                                                                                    10.
                                                                                                          9.        Owner-
                                                                                                          Number    ship
                                                                                                          of        Form
                    2.                                                                                    Deriv-    of
                    Conver-                    5.                              7.                         ative     Deriv-   11.
                    sion                       Number of                       Title and Amount           Secur-    ative    Nature
                    or                         Derivative    6.                of Underlying     8.       ities     Secur-   of
                    Exer-             4.       Securities    Date              Securities        Price    Bene-     ity:     In-
                    cise     3.       Trans-   Acquired (A)  Exercisable and   (Instr. 3 and 4)  of       ficially  Direct   direct
                    Price    Trans-   action   or Disposed   Expiration Date   ----------------  Deriv-   Owned     (D) or   Bene-
1.                  of       action   Code     of(D)         (Month/Day/Year)            Amount  ative    at End    In-      ficial
Title of            Deriv-   Date     (Instr.  (Instr. 3,    ----------------            or      Secur-   of        direct   Owner-
Derivative          ative    (Month/  8)       4 and 5)      Date     Expira-            Number  ity      Month     (I)      ship
Security            Secur-   Day/     ------   ------------  Exer-    tion               of      (Instr.  (Instr.   (Instr.  (Instr.
(Instr. 3)          ity      Year)    Code V    (A)   (D)    cisable  Date     Title     Shares  5)       4)        4)       4)
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Explanation of Responses:

(1)  On May 21, 1998, The Turner  Children Trust (the "Trust"),  with respect to
which Mr. Turner serves as co-trustee,  entered into a Forward Purchase Contract
and a related  pledge  agreement  with the  Dollar  General  STRYPES  Trust,  an
unaffiliated  third party buyer,  relating to up to  7,500,000  shares of common
stock of Dollar  General  Corporation.  On June 12, 1998,  the maximum number of
shares subject to the Forward Purchase  Contract was increased to 8,417,000 (the
"Contract  Commitment") as a result of the exercise of an over-allotment  option
by the underwriters of the STRYPES offering.

     Under the Forward Purchase  Contract,  the number of shares to be delivered
by the Trust was based on the average  closing  price of the common stock on the
20 trading  days ending on May 10, 2001 (the  "Exchange  Price").  The Trust was
obligated  to deliver on May 14,  2001 a number of shares (or, at the option of
the Trust  (exercisable prior to May 1, 2001), the cash equivalent) equal to the
product of(i) the Contract  Commitment  multiplied by (ii) the Exchange  Amount,
which was detenmned as follows:

      (a)  If the Exchange Price was less than or equal to $53.2406 (the "Equity
           Appreciation Cap"), the Exchange Amount would be one; and

      (b)  If the Exchange Price was greater than the Equity  Appreciation  Cap,
           the Exchange  Amount would be that fraction of a share having a value
           (based on the Exchange Price) equal to the Equity Appreciation Cap.

     As a result of stock splits by Dollar General Corporation after the date of
the  Forward  Purchase  Contract,   the  Contract  Commitment  was  adjusted  to
16,439,246  shares and the Equity  Appreciation Cap was effectively  adjusted to
$27.2592.

     In consideration  therefor,  the Trust received an aggregate purchase price
of $245,021,649.  The Trust delivered to a collateral agent the number of shares
equal to the Contract  Commitment to secure its obligations  under the contract,
but retained all dividend and voting  rights in the shares prior to  settlement.
The Trust could accelerate  settlement of the Forward Purchase Contract in whole
or in part prior to May 14, 2001 under certain circumstances.

     On May 14, 2001, the Trust  delivered to the Dollar  General  STRYPES Trust
16,439,246   shares  of  Dollar  General  common  stock  in  settlement  of  its
obligations under the Forward Purchase Contract.



           /s/ James S. Turner                                  6/11/2001
---------------------------------------------            -----------------------
      **Signature of Reporting Person                              Date


**     Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal
       Criminal Violations.

See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).

Note:  File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
       If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.


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