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
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.