Commissaries Closing?

[lowflier03]

Simple solution, close down government funded commissaries. Allow normal grocery stores the ability to set up shop in those spaces.

However these mandatory budget cuts should cause the services to take a hard look at (and fix) all the other bullshit funding issues. 7F end of year spendex, flight hour allocation, furniture budgets that must be spent, etc. Along those lines, make open purchase easier, and actually encouraged. The difference in cost between what we can go out and buy in town, vs having to use the stupid catalog is absurd.

 

[Spekkio]

The better question is why should the DoD be subsidizing grocery stores so folks can save a $1 on a gallon of milk and $0.23 on salad dressing?

Because a lot of the enlisted base pay scale is designed around benefits that aren't seen directly in a paycheck. If I were an E-5 or E-6 with two kids, you bet I'd be shopping exclusivey at the commissary on that budget.

You get rid of all the subsidized services and eventually you will see the hit in retention when people are tired of struggling to buy food, which will cause the DoD to have to raise pay across the board.

On top of it, I was hinting at what lowflier said. If you're going to penny-pinch the commisaries, you should also look at other broken practices that waste a lot more money. $1.4 billion? It sounds like a lot, but it's less than 1% of the DoD budget.

 

[lowflier03]

Or since there is talk among the Brass about cutting all pay, benefits, housing, etc for the military. How about when that happens, and the commissaries get closed, you make all military pay tax free? Individual servicemembers suddenly see more money, even with cuts, and the DoD gets to save money.

 

[ea6bflyr]

Here's the 2012 Commissary Financial report.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I'll take the bait. I'm an O-4 > 12 who is married to a SELRES O-4 who drills 8-10 times a month. We set a budget, live within our means, and save a lot of money.

We utilize the commissary A LOT. The price difference between local Safeway and the commissary is huge. It's not just the young Sailors and retirees who are using the benefit. My family would miss access, and while it certainly wouldn't drive us to food stamps, it would make a noticeable impact on our monthly budget, i.e., impacting how much we're saving/investing for the future when other (more costly) benefits are taken back.

$4,500 a year? Probably not, but my family saves a considerable amount of money with this benefit.

I would be curious to peel the skin back on the argument and see where the grocer lobbyists are on it. You know they're there - you know they're complaining about unfair competition and lost revenue. It would be interesting to see who's entertaining their arguments.

Also not sure if this suggestions (plan) is politically tenable. "Don't vote for Candidate X, he strips benefits from veterans...."

I think it depends upon the area around each duty station, at some I shopped only at the commissary, but where I am at now I save more just by buying what I need when it is on sale locally, I have found most stores have a rotation of sales, so if it isn't on sale this week it will be in the next week or two.

I think that many of the commissaries could be closed, but I bet many are in areas that do save servicemembers money, it should be an all or nothing but an evaluation of each area.

 

[Flash]

Because a lot of the enlisted base pay scale is designed around benefits that aren't seen directly in a paycheck.

You can argue that with all military pay and not just enlisted, I took a significant pay cut when I left active duty even though my pay was 'equaled' in my civilian job.

If I were an E-5 or E-6 with two kids, you bet I'd be shopping exclusivey at the commissary on that budget......You get rid of all the subsidized services and eventually you will see the hit in retention when people are tired of struggling to buy food, which will cause the DoD to have to raise pay across the board.

No one is talking about getting rid of all subsidized benefits but with a big budget crunch happening DoD has to look at everything to include one of the biggest expenditures they have, which is personnel and their benefits. And frankly I think losing the Commissary would not have that big an impact on retention based on who I see/have seen shopping there, especially if it was mitigated by increasing BAS focused for more junior personnel.

And also, have the family you can afford and not the one you want.

On top of it, I was hinting at what lowflier said. If you're going to penny-pinch the commisaries, you should also look at other broken practices that waste a lot more money. $1.4 billion? It sounds like a lot, but it's less than 1% of the DoD budget.

The DoD should be looking at ALL of its fiscal practices to include the Exchanges and Commissaries, just because there are other financial shennanigans out there doesn't mean we shouldn't look at some areas and not others. Deflecting the argument to other programs and policies is pretty weak, not much should be sacred when combing through our programs.

 

[ea6bflyr]

Don't you think that DECA could re-organize and optimize their business model to operate without the $1.4B? They've shown that DECA operates in the red by $1.4B over the last several years....I'm certain if they faced closing, they could adjust the numbers to make it work. We are talking about a $5-6 billion business.

 

[Flash]

Don't you think that DECA could re-organize and optimize their business model to operate without the $1.4B? They've shown that DECA operates in the red by $1.4B over the last several years....I'm certain if they faced closing, they could adjust the numbers to make it work. We are talking about a $5-6 billion business.

DoD pays for the facilities and salaries of Commissary employees, not sure how they could 'make it work' without becoming just another grocery store.

 

[Gatordev]

Seems like this is for "U.S." which I read as CONUS. An important data point when talking about savings to a member.

I'll take the bait. I'm an O-4 > 12 who is married to a SELRES O-4 who drills 8-10 times a month.

Good god, man! How do we get her unit's budget? TSW for the win, I guess.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Good god, man! How do we get her unit's budget? TSW for the win, I guess.

We'll need it to afford our food if the commissaries close

 

[Brett327]

Lets keep in mind that DoD is currently studying every possible way in which money could be saved. Accordingly, they have asked all of their associated agencies for various contingency plans to demonstrate all the possible "what ifs." So, just because DeCA has been asked to produce a plan to close X number of commissaries, doesn't mean DoD will execute that plan. It's essentially a data call to evaluate options.

 

[ea6bflyr]

Lets keep in mind that DoD is currently studying every possible way in which money could be saved. Accordingly, they have asked all of their associated agencies for various contingency plans to demonstrate all the possible "what ifs." So, just because DeCA has been asked to produce a plan to close X number of commissaries, doesn't mean DoD will execute that plan. It's essentially a data call to evaluate options.

Maybe, but this is how it starts.

 

[RedFive]

I agree with lowflier03. Enid, Oklahoma is a pretty good place to have a commissary. San Diego is not. In BOTH cases, the DOD should get out of the grocery business and allow companies to propose bids on those existing spaces. If Walmart doesn't think they'll make money in location X, then they won't bother with it.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Bad news for DoD to get into business with WalMart....

Enid, Oklahoma is a pretty good place to have a commissary. San Diego is not.

Not exactly sure what the cost of living in Enid is like, but seems to me you've got this backwards.?

 

[RedFive]

I suppose you could look at it that way, but my experience was that the commissary in Enid provided access to all sorts of food you couldn't get out in town at prices which were usually less than the local grocery store. Not to mention that all of the local stores were kind far from base. If you wanted something really special and the commissary didn't have it, chances are you had to drive to OKC. Of course that may have changed since then, but a place like San Diego offers so much variety and competition that I don't see the point.

Found this in The Illustrated History of American Military Commissaries:

"The Navy Commissaries' official purpose was to 'sell, at the lowest possible prices, articles to enlisted personnel for their comfort and contentment.' The Navy was to 'provide a convenient and reliable source from which authorized patrons may obtain groceries, meat and produce and other authorized items at the lowest practicable cost.'" -Congress, March 1909