Posted on 05/10/2014 7:00:48 AM PDT by SandRat
As Walmart grows in the grocery department the military commissary becomes less necessary to the buyers. Walmart IMO beats all competition as does COSTCO most of the time.
punish servicepeople and their households but reward illegals and workshy people with more cash
This country sucks.
Death of a thousand cuts...
If the commissary advantage is down to 10%, there is no point in going, especially if its out of the way. You can do better clipping coupons.
The ‘tax-free’ alone makes it worth the little further drive (PX-BX too)... Remember, the taxes go to make entitlement peeps happy unemployed.. :p
Commissaries are on the post where the service men live and work. Walmart is off post and some distance away. And I would guess, that in someplaces, for example Ft. Huachuca or Dugway Proving Ground, there may not even be a Walmart.
We do have a Walmart out side Ft. Huachuca.
It is a Walmart that we joke needs its own postal Zipcode, lay out of it stinks, stocking of it likewise stinks, and parking stinks.
Walmart beats all competition? That’s not my experience as a military retiree. The commissary beats Walmart hands down. Walmart is typically better on sale items, i.e. loss leaders, but they are substantially more expensive if one buys a typical week’s worth of groceries. If one purchases name brand items at Walmart, the commissary price advantage is even greater, and name brand items are generally the best quality.
What amazes me about this commissary discussion is that no one is talking about cutting food stamps in any way. The commissaries have long been touted as a form of military compensation for the sacrifices that military members make. While the US government isn’t contractually obligated to provide commissaries, it has long used them to encourage people to enlist and stay till retirement.
EBT is something that also subsidizes Walmart heavily, and I don’t hear many discussing that either. A good portion of Walmart employees are on EBT, and EBT purchases are a sizable chunk of Walmart’s grocery business.
I’m not opposed to cutting government, but I really, really want someone to explain to me why veterans always seem to be at the top of the list for reduced benefits. Actually, I don’t need it explained, I know why the Joint Chiefs are selling us out, but I don’t know why some conservatives are cheering these cuts. We’ve got $ trillions in handouts, I’m talking giving them something for nothing, to millions of Americans and American businesses (ethanol subsidies anyone), and some conservatives couldn’t care less as the politicians go after veterans, because “We gotta start cutting somewhere...” PUKE!
Yep. I'm in the military and 90% of my groceries are purchased at my local Walmart Supercenter. My rare visits to the commissary only serve to remind me why I don't go there more often. Shopping at the commissary has become a nightmare. Poor selection, empty shelves, out-of-date items, thin crowded aisles. And the savings just aren't what they used to be (though dairy and meats are still a little cheaper).
I won't shop at the exchanges for the same reasons unless I need uniform items. Honestly, the military could do away with both of these outlets and I wouldn't miss them at all.
I almost never buy anything at AAFES, because their prices are almost always higher even with the tax free advantage. They have captive audiences in some places overseas, but AAFES can’t compete with the likes of Amazon.com or Walmart.
Commissaries, on the other hand, are a very good deal if one buys a selection of groceries versus just searching for bargains. A Crest, for example, might undercut the commissary on some items, but they have much higher markups on other items. If one bought a typical week’s worth of groceries, one would save at the commissary.
I also agree with the article that the commissary increases AAFES sales. If people weren’t driving to the base for the commissary (savings), they almost certainly wouldn’t drive there to shop at AAFES.
I’m talking state side, not overseas. Overseas is an entirely different matter of course. The commissaries are much, much more important overseas. In some cases, military members may not have much of an alternative. They will be forced to pay the higher prices.
Another issue: if fewer people shop at the commissaries or stateside commissaries are eliminated, what effect will that have on prices? Will commissaries have to pay more since they are buying less from the manufacturers? Will they lose economies of scale that come from being such a big buyer? It seems likely, and that would further drive up prices for the military.
Except for a small amount of base housing, most of the people who live on base are single E4 and below. They live in barracks without kitchens and eat in the galley.
Service members with families, by and large, live off base, and probably closer to a Walmart than a commissary.
This is true.
They should cut welfare instead and leave the military alone.
I’m talking state side, not overseas.... What I hated about commissaries was the officers (wives) would fil three to four carts up with meat (in ‘72 to ‘74) and when the enlisted men got to get inside.....there was only chicken wings, gizzards and that was about it, left. Went to Kroger.
I respectfully disagree...there are many items that are much cheaper and as one example...the ammo in AAFES was at times 1/3 to even 1/2 the cost of the retailers in town...wasn’t subject to the price runups and gouging that was going on.
It all depends on what you’re looking for and the price match policy helps to keep prices in line with downtown...there are many deals to be had.
And what about the impact to those who serve on isolated stateside bases? The nearest grocery store to Edwards AFB is an Albertson’s about 20 miles away and I’ve done the comparisons...those unionized stores rape their customers...just one example...A 2 cup bag of Kraft shredded cheese at Albertson’s is $4+, at the Commissary, is less than $2. If Albertson’s isn’t good enough then tack on another 15 miles to the nearest WM...this is one way mind you and gas prices are over $4 per gallon...
Don’t anyone sit here and try to tell me that the impact on stateside folks is negligible to zero...not every base has a WM right outside the main gate...the EAFB commissary and BX are busy quite a bit.
I would dare to say that those bases that are in close proximity to civilian stores are doing a pretty good job of helping to keep prices down outside the gate as a simple matter of competition...had one poster on another thread claim that those stores were “better” because they offered tons of coupons...what they refused to address is the reason for those coupons...to increase foot traffic by military folks.
What does anyone think is going to happen to prices locally once the commissary is closed? The competition is gone...so then what? Same thing happens whenever the military get a raise, what happens to prices across the board? They go up, negating or eliminating the benefit of the raise.
The Air Force dorms at Edwards have kitchens...and those who can, choose to live on Edwards vs. facing at a minimum 40 mile RT commute everyday with gas at $4+ per gallon...
The nearest WM to Edwards is about 35 miles (1 way) away...
The grocery chains have been trying to kill the commissaries for years. The grocery stores right outside the post were 15% cheaper than the same chain’s store 30 miles away in a big city. If they kill the commissaries, the price of groceries at the stores near the bases and posts will go up 25% the next day.
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