Posted on 06/07/2014 3:04:20 PM PDT by SandRat
That’s not the PX, but thanks.
Congress doesn’t need to. It’s a matter of policy, not law. That was explained in the article.
Over the years, the issue of tax free goods on military installations at the PX, commissary, Class VI store, etc. has been an issue of great interest to Congress. They have frequently threatened to end the tax free status as these were perceived to be unfair to local merchants. Local merchants vote for local politicians, soldiers don’t.
The government has repeatedly made concessions to keep the tax free privilege. These concessions have been things like keeping prices within a certain range of off post establishments, limiting store hours, etc.
I have been around military installations for 67 years and I have seen it over and over again. How much money has Bezos donated to Obama and the Democrats?
Who will pay the postage? that can be pretty hefty now days...
You have a point. At this time, it’s still an agency decision.
The Canteen will let you order from AFEES on-line. The Canteen amused to have their own online ordering, but several years ago it was combined with AFFES.
On your next trip to the VA check it out.
Shipping can kill you if you live outside the lower 48 like Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, etc. You buy online and all of a sudden that “free ground shipping” morphs into $40-$50 shipping for a $10 item.
Nowadays, with NewEgg, Amazon, and others easily and quickly available it is simply no contest, and pretty much all the purchases I have made have been with free shipping included. Also, perhaps because I am in California, Newegg has almost consistently managed to complete shipping in two days -and on at least one occasion by the next day, WITH standard (free) shipping.
On the contrary. I believe their goal is to get all these vets to sign up for the AAFES credit card. They charge an average of at least 15% and most are too undisciplined to stop using it.
Vets are big boys and girls don’t think you need to be worry about their credit card habits but thanks for your concern I’m sure its heartfelt....
Active Duty/Retiree/Veteran ping.
The PX, with the exception of Class VI (alcohol), is massively overpriced. (Yes, you can find some deals...but they are the exception rather than the rule). As an (retired) enlisted person, I have consistently believed that the buyers for AAFES must certainly gain valuable feedback from their consumer base (the spouses and daughters of O-6s and above)
Possibly furniture and appliances may have good pricing, but I would have to go a long way out of my way to check...therefore it isn’t worth the bother.
My bet would be that allowing aafes access will get a lot of states and large retailers upset. That’s where the fight will be. My memory says that aafes is state/local sales tax free, so states will lodge an objection. Large retailers will object to increased competition at lower prices sponsored by the government.
It would be a good award for honorable service to carry forward for all retirees. The VA coverage is not working so well right now, so any addition would help.
I am a retiree and use the Exchange Online store a lot. For some things it’s a good bargain, especially on taxes. So this proposal would ADD veterans to those eligible, who are (right now) active duty and retired, plus family members.
I shop online at the Exchange, but I’m a retiree’s widow so I still have all the privileges. “all the privileges” HA!!! They’ve taken them almost all away.
I rarely set foot in the PX.
Electronics are out of date. Staff is hard to find and when you do find someone they don’t know what is going on.
I don’t shop at the commissary either.
The zero sales tax is the only advantage the PX has, so big ticket or big shopping is better than regular shopping.
I’ve always like the commissary, and thought they did well with meat and brand name shelf items. Their fruits and veggies spoiled too quickly. Unfortunately, for me, I retired about 2 hours from the closest PX/Commissary, so I mostly do big box retailers.
We use the commissary all the time and it does have considerable savings over the grocery stores in town. The exchange though? I am very curious to see where they are pulling this 25% savings number from because that has never been my experience. Their brands maybe, but not overall.
Yep, I pretty much quit shopping at the commissary and BX. I got a Mac Book Pro for less, even with the tax, at Best Buy, where the selection is better, and the floor staff actually have some idea what they are talking about.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.