Everybody hears that after they leave PI. I don't recall seeing a PX at all. The last weekend we went to the steakhouse. My buddy and I ate two full meals in the time my parents had one.
Walt
Boot is boot, same as it ever was, same as it'll always be. I went through MCRD SD in '82, and there was a recruit Exchange. You are issued a chit book in advance of some of your pay. You may buy things like collar stays, Wisk, a scrub brush for washing your laundry and boot polish supplies. If you attempt to purchase contraband, you will PT in the pit until your head explodes. Back in those days, you could buy a pack of cigarettes there, but you were required to immediately forfeit them to the Drill Instructor. When we won the drill competition or did well on an inspection, the smokers were issued one cig apeice from a randomly selected pack (always something gross, like Kools). We were then directed to stand at ease in a circle outside the squadbay door. One man held an upside-down garbage can lid as an ash tray. There'd dang well better be a correct count of butts in that lid when the smoking lamp was extinguished, too.
I think we had one recruit PX call per month- so a total of three while in boot camp.