A pilot program allowing Defense Department civilians to buy discounted groceries at military commissaries in 16 locations has been extended through the end of the year, commissary officials said.
Civilian employees, including appropriated fund employees and nonappropriated fund employees, can shop at the 16 stateside stores participating in the program as long as they have DOD identification.
About 11% of the more than 61,000 DOD civilians eligible to shop at these stores have used the benefit in the four months of the pilot program, which was originally scheduled to end April 4. Sales across the 16 pilot stores have increased by 5.4% in those four months, and officials expect that trend to continue, said Keith Desbois, a spokesman for the Defense Commissary Agency.
Allowing DOD civilians to shop in the commissaries is expected to provide additional customer savings through increased sales volume, lower prices and more promotions from suppliers, commissary officials said.
The stores with the highest usage of the pilot program are Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia, where nearly half of the 1,327 eligible civilians have used the pilot program; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, where 36% of the 928 eligible civilians have used it; and Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, where one-third of the 995 eligible civilians have taken part.
The 16 stores are located in seven states:
- Alaska: Eielson Air Force Base
- California: Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Fort Irwin
- Georgia: Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany and Robins Air Force Base
- Maryland: Naval Air Station Patuxent River
- Oklahoma: Altus Air Force Base
- Texas: Laughlin Air Force Base
- Virginia: Naval Support Facility Dahlgren; Joint Base Langley-Eustis (Fort Eustis and Langley Air Force Base commissaries); Fort Gregg-Adams; Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (Little Creek commissary); Naval Station Norfolk; Naval Air Station Oceana; and Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Portsmouth)
The pilot program excludes family members of DOD civilian employees and former and retired DOD civilians. It also doesn’t include the purchase of tobacco or alcohol products and doesn’t provide online shopping privileges.
For 157 years, military commissaries have offered discounted groceries on installations. Current authorized customers include active, reserve or retired service members; veterans with service-connected disabilities; Purple Heart and Medal of Honor recipients; and authorized family members, among other eligible patrons.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
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