A lot of the waste is over seemingly small things, like buying Leatherman tools for all the guys in the shop, or using the supply chain to appropriate all of the necessary cold gear for the hunting season. I saw this a lot.
I used to work in the GA Air National Guard as a full-time technician ( I was a government employee during the week in the same workcenter that housed 8- weekend warriors). They gave me a lot a flack because I would not order persoanal things for them. One guy was pressing me to order all of the guys a parka. One problem with that-we live in Georgia.
This same buying pattern happens in our universities, personnel gifts for sons and daughters by the department heads at graduation time...the list for computers with all the bells and whistles is staggering.