The Pentagon is looking at closing the commissaries. How will this affect you and your family?

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 21:02:12 -0500

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Nov 21 at 2013 9:19 PM

SGM Matthew Quick — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 21:19:46 -0500

Just like every other benefit the military is taking away, we'll need to adapt and adjust, remain resilient during this turbulent times.

Sadly, our elected officials are creating a shell-of-a-military.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 22 at 2013 12:48 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 00:48:37 -0500

It wouldn't affect my Family too much, but I do see how it could affect some service members buying power. You can take 100 dollars to a commissary and you would spend at least 130 to 140 dollars buying the same grocery items on the local economy.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 22 at 2013 1:22 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 01:22:38 -0500

Like most things in the Army this is extremely situational to where you live. When I was in Hawaii I noticed you could save quite a bit at the commissary. When I was in Arizona I did not notice a big difference in the prices at the commissary or going to the local supermarkets especially if you were a sale shopper. Someone should do their research and determine what markets are of actual benefit to the soldier and which ones are a burden to the Army. These two factors need to be in balance. Would we close one that is of great value to the soldiers but is costing the Government too much to operate. or would we keep one that is self-sustaining but of not much value to the soldiers. I think that would be the real talking point.

Response by SPC Corbin Doades made Nov 22 at 2013 4:16 AM

SPC Corbin Doades — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 04:16:42 -0500

I heard about this through military.com. I just saw on http://www.armytimes.com/article/20131121/BENEFITS07/311210046/DoD-seeks-plan-shut-all-U-S-commissaries From what I understand the government wants to shut down all US based commisaries. While this may save money, the government needs to keep in mind that some of these bases are located in remote areas where the nearest market is some 30min away. By closing those commisaries it will make life a little more difficult for soldiers and families.

DoD seeks plan to shut all U.S. commissaries

Defense officials have reportedly asked the Defense Commissary Agency to develop a plan to close all U.S.

Response by CPT Mike M. made Nov 22 at 2013 7:53 AM

CPT Mike M. — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 07:53:57 -0500

Rather than a blanket answer I think they need to assess the profits of each individual one and make cuts based on that. At bases that are in areas with a higher cost of living, I'm sure the commissaries do pretty well and help out Soldiers. However, I'm at Fort Hood and don't know a single person who uses the commissary and not H.E.B. I'm sure it gets used but think that we could definitely afford to cut ours.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 22 at 2013 8:30 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 08:30:18 -0500

If the commissary on Fort Irwin were to close it would cause a problem for those stationed there considering it is 30 plus miles one way to get to the closest surround city. During the furlough the commissary remained open due to this fact. If they decide to close stateside commissaries they need to take into the location of installations in regards to relation to the closest civilian grocery store, if they were to close a commissary on a post such as Fort Irwin I could see it becoming detrimental to the morale of soldiers and their families.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 22 at 2013 10:23 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 10:23:12 -0500

I will likely get flak for this, put here are my two cents. One of the great benefits I get attending graduate school through the Army is occasional candid access to senior defense leaders. Last week at a luncheon with GEN Odierno, he brought up the fact that personnel costs, currently at 45% our the Army's budget, will rise to 80% by 2025 if the current trend increases and we make no changes. This is due to multiple reasons probably better suited for another discussion, but what the CSA contended, and I agree with, is that we are not taking care of our Soldiers if we cannot train and equip them, which you can't do with 20% of your budget. The take away from that is that we have to recognize there needs to be some change to our personnel system and the associated costs. I think we can all recognize that. What ADM Harvey proposed in a great article is that DoD needs to ask where military families can take cuts, not impose blanket solutions based on what we think is best for our people.

That brings me to the topic of the commissaries. This cannot be a blanket solution (see Ft. Irwin, OCONUS locations, etc), but the purpose of the commissary, as originally designed, was to provide for remote western based that were on the frontier. For 90% of our CONUS bases, that is not the case. Couple that with the fact that WalMart in 2009, when DoD investigated this idea, offered that they would sell to military families at cost, meaning what you pay at the commissary (and they were not the only business to do so), and it would appear you have an 80% solution to save DoD money. However, the blow back from the military community was so great, the commissary became untouchable (there is an interesting article in the Washington Post on this topic from earlier this year). The idea died.

My central point here is that things have changed and we, as service members, have to challenge some deeply held beliefs on what we think is important to us while we serve and afterwards. There is going to be some tradeoffs here, and we have to find solutions to recruit and retain the best while recognizing that some of the things we have always counted on need to get cut away.

Response by SFC Gary Fox made Nov 22 at 2013 1:53 PM

SFC Gary Fox — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 13:53:46 -0500

It won't have an affect on me as I don't live anywhere close to a commissary, but I know quite a few people who will be effected by it; especially retirees.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 22 at 2013 9:33 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 21:33:36 -0500

I actually behave the opposite of many of the responses here. I do not live on post, but we do about 80-90% of our grocery shopping on post, 30+ minutes away. I am currently in school so I'm rarely on post except for a medical appointment or to go to the commissary. When I do go to Walmart or one of the other grocery stores in town, I am blown away by their high prices and poor quality (especially on meat and produce). It makes me so thankful for the commissary! Closing the commissaries would definitely have a huge, negative impact on me and my family.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 22 at 2013 9:34 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 21:34:16 -0500

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 22 at 2013 10:21 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 22:21:51 -0500

It won't affect me as much as being laid off with 14 years of service. If we don't find cuts elsewhere we will cut more troops, maybe you.

AlsoI like the plan to bring in Walmart.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 22 at 2013 10:23 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 22:23:58 -0500

If I were OCONUS, having the Commissary close would have a tremendously negative impact.

As a CONUS family, it would be frustrating, but the impact would be minimal to moderate. The meat prices at the Commissary are much less expensive, especially for the quality. The tax break is nice. However, local stores have reasonable prices, so it wouldn't be the largest impact on my family.

I think what would have the biggest impact on me would be the fact that the Commissary is one of the few places where I can find certain ethnic foods. These seem to be stocked across all of the commissaries. Many of these items are often challenging to find in local grocery stores across the nation. It is nice to have these products when you crave a recipe that reminds you of home or that you are craving. An example of this is Goya products. In NY, these are extremely common in all stores. In Kansas, I could only find them at the Commissary. This is not the biggest deal, but it is where I feel like I will have the largest negative reaction should they close CONUS commissaries.

One other aspect is the community aspect. Some posts are in relatively remote areas or in less developed areas where there may be as many options off-post. It is nice to feel like post can be its own self-sustaining community. In some communities, where grocery stores and markets have little competition, the influx of military customers could potentially lead to one of two situations: one where the store increases prices to gouge due to lack of competition and a relatively captive audience; or one where prices decrease due to increase of demand and the parody of a larger scale of economy for the store.

Either way, I would be upset to see my local Commissary go away.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 22 at 2013 11:18 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 23:18:39 -0500

I don't use the Commissary myself that often but I have a lot of friends/battles that do who have families and think the Commissaries offer better deals than other establishments off-post. For them, closing the Commissaries could be detrimental to them.....but for me, not so much.

Now if our "elected officials" start talking about the PXs......then we have a problem.

Response by SFC Gary Fox made Nov 23 at 2013 8:52 AM

SFC Gary Fox — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 08:52:34 -0500

I have been reading the commissary system is losing money mostly because of the cost to transport goods to them. Perhaps they should consider buying fresh vegetables from local farmers as well as meats.

Response by LtCol Dann Chesnut made Nov 23 at 2013 9:03 AM

LtCol Dann Chesnut — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 09:03:48 -0500

The commissaries that I have purchased groceries at are usually well stocked, and have lots of customers. It bothers me that the baggers work only for tips, and that I have to pay a surcharge on top of my grocery bill. That being said, there is no reason that the system does not make money. The management mindset needs to change to a business model. As a young officer, I ran more than my share of mess halls, and did not have any idea as to the cost in terms of dollars of personnel, food, facilities, etc... To be a "going concern" those who manage the commissaries need to be very aware of the cost of everything and make adjustments. It is doable. Just need to decide to change the paradigm.

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Nov 23 at 2013 2:20 PM

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 14:20:30 -0500

It actually has a huge impact on the pocketbook and wallet, but as briefed earlier by others, we will have to adapt and overcome. What is sad I think is the retiree's really and seriously use the comsy, most spouses find the local Wal-Mart thinking that they save, but I do know my wife has learned the comsy is the best for everything but fresh vegetables and fruit. Hopefully we can retain this benefit, if not, like everything else, adapt and overcome.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2013 2:28 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 14:28:07 -0500

Personally, it wont affect me at all. I often don't want to deal with the hassle of the commissary so I often find myself shopping at local stores. There is a benefit of certain products that if I am hosting a get together, I tend to shop at the commissary. But this will be an easy transition, I believe.

Response by MSgt Fred Gondzar made Nov 23 at 2013 7:43 PM

MSgt Fred Gondzar — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 19:43:38 -0500

I am retired from the USAF, and the commissary is about 10 miles from where
we live.

It is just easier, and about the same price, to go to the local supermarket
for us.

Response by GySgt William Hardy made Nov 24 at 2013 6:02 PM

GySgt William Hardy — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 18:02:00 -0500

It actually cost me more the last time I went to the Fort Campbell commissary. The prices were about the same plus the commissary charged a 10% surcharge. Tax was 8.75% in my area. Add the cost of driving and shopping locally is a no-brainer. As far as active duty goes, in my time I shopped off-post more than I did on post. Better selection off post. My wife and I had a list of what came from the commissary/PX and what we bought around the corner at the local A&P.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2013 6:03 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 18:03:10 -0500

It will not effect me for I am not near a commissary. As those that use it daily or when families are in need of it they're may be some adjustments that need to be made.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2013 8:01 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 20:01:38 -0500

Our family primarily uses the commissary for purchasing our meats. This has provided a substantial savings over the local stores. Once again the benefits are being eroded by this administration to support their social programs and agendas.

Response by MGySgt Rich Zahn made Nov 25 at 2013 12:57 PM

MGySgt Rich Zahn — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 12:57:56 -0500

just another failed promise of what is to be provided, I'm sure it is mismanagement and high drag from the bloated administrators, try changing the way it is run..

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2013 1:13 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 13:13:47 -0500

My family and I shop at the Commissary on a weekly basis... Being stationed overseas, it can be difficult to shop when everything is in Italian or German (or occasionally French or Spanish), not to mention that local stores don't have a lot of the items we're accustomed to... the Commissary gives us the products we want and need at reasonable prices...

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2013 1:17 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 13:17:31 -0500

At my previous duty station (in the MDW) we lived 45 minutes from the closest Commissary, and could find most items cheaper and easier by going to the local Bulk discount store and a local Grocery store... so we only shopped at the Commissary on rare occasion when we were already in the vicinity...

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2013 1:29 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 13:29:10 -0500

I don't see a need to close commissaries at this point. The QSP and QMP is about to kick off. The Pentagon is picking at pennies when it should be picking at dollars. We should focus more attention to cutting projects like some lame new uniform unnecessary and realistic during the fiscal crisis. The Army has presented multiple surveys AKO wide on newer uniforms I mean seriously just because a newly retired General or politician is going to line his pockets with our hard earned dollars. Hell no completely inappropriate. Shut down the government contractors charging the most. Specifically the ASYMETRIC WARFARE GROUP... They test all day long on equipment and clothing and for what so they get eliminated anyways.. Lets focus on what we have work with what we have and not continue to try and improve on something not broken. Our finances will suffer from things like commissary shutdowns. I left Fort Campbell a year ago after the newly built commissary was just built... I am sure improvement s need to be made across the board. I still see senior Enlisted and Senior officer and below who have had Article 15s and derogatory reports in their records yet remain actively serving kick all those out and the commissary can remain open. Shut off all the contracts not working and the commissaries will remain. COMMON SENSE will be the patron to allowing sustainability of Commissaries. Not knit-picking at the Pentagon

Response by SFC Louis Jordan made Dec 8 at 2013 11:04 PM

SFC Louis Jordan — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 23:04:25 -0500

Senior military leaders should take a step back and use
straight logic – ‘Before you tear down the fence, you might want to see why the
fence was erected in the first place’! Shopping
at the commissary might not mean much to Officers, but in many cases it’s a big
deal to lower and mid grade enlisted service members and fixed income retirees. We have service members that are on food
stamps, WIC programs, and are also assisted by food pantries. In my area of Virginia know as Tidewater, consist
of Hampton (Air Force and VA Hospital), Newport News (Army), Norfolk (Army,
Navy, Marine, Coast Guard, and Special Ops), Virginia Beach (Army, Navy, and
Special Ops), and York County (Navy, Special Ops, and Coast Guard). Our commissaries are part of the fabric that
is holding the military community together, a place where you can stretch a
dollar. Every month we have retirees
that live as far as 75 miles away, come here for their monthly commissary shopping
and medication pick-up. When I joined
the Army in 1972, I was promised that if I made the Army a career and retire, I’d
have a monthly check, G.I. Bill for small business or home, FREE college tuition,
FREE medical and dental for life, and PX and commissary usage for life! Are you feeling me yet, what happened to “we
take care of our own”? it never ceases
to amaze me, when it come down to trimming the fat, it comes from areas that is
not cause any effect on the butchers life style or way of living! The military have
been doing more with less for so long that our that it appears that our
uniformed leaders at the Pentagon are playing politics and using us as bargaining
chips, if this is the case, take off the uniform and run for office. Fight for our rights and we’ll continue to
fight and die for those liberties that people take for granted. If Congress has a problem with that, remind
them of whom you are and what you uniform represents. If they are hell bent on cutting something,
let them start with their benefits and privileges that they did not earn, but
came with the temporary job they are occupying for 4 years.