Commissaries

[caninecop]

If you haven’t read about the commissaries in the new defense bill you might take a look at the link below to see how it will impact you. http://www.svherald.com/content/community/2013/03/08/348900

[no3putt]

We don't shop at commissaries much anyway unless we happen to be staying at a famcamp. The little savings you get is lost if you have to drive very far and also add te 5% surcharge. Closing them a day or two a week only makes sense since they used to be closed a long time ago once a week to cutdown on labor expenses.

[FleetMan]

We pay that 5% surcharge to help fund the overall operation of the "grocery store type operations" of the commissary. As long as there are troops that need to be fed, there will be a need for a full time commissary. It is part of the logistics of running a military force. Some cost cutters and [moderator edit] have wanted to close the BX,PX and commissaries for many years.

[Doggy Daddy]

I don't pay sales tax for food in grocery stores in most states and they make a profit. The PX and BX does not charge a service charge and still makes a profit. BUT Commissaries don't pay rent for their buildings, want to charge an additional fee and have me tip a bagger yet I can find identical food items cheaper at Walmart and Safeway and I don't have to pay to have my groceries bagged. For me, I use the Commissaries as a convenience store like 7/11.

[ralphie]

We have to use WM at home because we're not near a commissary. We've been on the road and close to commissaries this past two months. The savings are significant even with the surcharge and bagger tips.

[Wayne M]

Not shopping at the military facilities affects the MWR programs also. The PX/BX, and possibly the commissary under the same umbrella, provide a percentage of their profits to the MWR program. Closing a commissary another day is a 20% cutback according to the article linked above. If the MWR has to depend on appropriated funds only, they will fail. I'll also assume that they appropriated funds will be cut back.

This has a long term affect on MWR and its support of the FAM Camps we enjoy using.

So, whenever we have the opportunity we shop at the military facilities hoping that our little contribution will help the MWR. If more and more people start shopping off-base it could be the ultimate demise of commissaries and PX's. (BX's for you army/air force pogs)

[DSL417]

I shop commissaries for some things and not others....and its been that way for over twenty years.

I find it irritating to go to the milk counter and find every size and container within 7 days of the sell by date (when you can go to the grocery store and find very few with less than 10 days of the expiration). Last three times I bought apples...looked good outside, brown inside. Much the same with much of the produce. Meat quality...questionable in my mind. No one wants to talk about these things; if you live on or near the base/post then you can go more often and shop these things. For me too much wastage. And I seriously question the where and when the dairy and produce is purchased and comes from.

That said, when needing significant resupply of canned and boxed goods/frozen vegetables, non-spoilage items, it was worth the trip...and it is a benefit to troops with young families. After the kids are gone and the need for larger quantities goes away, a positive equation is tougher. And, the differences are getting tighter price-wise. Consolidation and/or co-location with BX/PX/NEX in new brick buildings are expensive and I think that has had a negative impact on prices. In addition,IMHO, I have seen little or no improvement in rec services for the troops.

Sorry, but this is a vanishing benefit anyway. JMHO

[Bill2]

Those who believe that the commisary don't save you money are wrong. There is not a time when we go to any commisary that we don't save money. Milk is almost always cheeper unless a store is using milk as a item to pull you in. Eggs, cheese, butter, cereal, and I could go on and on with things that are usually cheeper. I agree that some canned goods are cheeper at Walmart or etc. You can at times find some meats cheeper at the commisary. I love it and will use it as long as I live.
Bill O.

[Cat320]

From the DECA web site:

"Commissaries are required by law to sell products at cost plus surcharge, so we never make a profit on the products we sell."

[no3putt]

True, they sell at cost to them, however the suppliers mark up the prices to the commissaries, I would bet that WM or local store is getting them cheaper then the commissaries are. Same goes for gas station prices, the bases sell for what the local prices are and gain additional profits.

[two-niner]

Seems some people have forgotten why there are commissaries.

Ever wonder ?

Kerry

[DSL417]

Don't question the need...just the quality.

I just can't help but think that second class and older meat, produce, and dairy products are being passed to the commissary.

[TurboLQ9]

We, too, have had a problem with buying food from the commissary and bringing it home only to find out that it expires in 2 or 3 days. However, this does not stop us from doing all of our shopping there as the savings for us is significant since we live on post 4 miles from the commissary. Where we are located in Kansas, not only are the commissary items cheaper than Walmart, but the 5% surcharge the commissary charges is less than the local & state sales tax, which combined is over 7%! The baggers at our commissary are incredibly rude and if you tip them anything under $5, you get the evil eye. To avoid this, DW only uses the self checkout machines and can scan our groceries, bag them, and load them into the car much faster than the high priced baggers can anyway

[Doggy Daddy]

Interesting article "Commissary Showdown vs. Grocery Stores: Who Really Saves You the Most Money?" http://usmclife.com/2012/04/grocery-store-showdown/