Vending machines are refilled using the Navy’s supply system, yet where does that money go? The Navy has already “bought” the Coke...so what happens to the dollar I just paid? Is that the price it cost to supply me with the Coke, or is someone making money off this deal?
Here’s another example that makes me mad; onboard the boat we were told we couldn’t have any MWR fundraisers because it might compete with the ship somehow. (We had an officer plane wash that was deemed “illegal” after the fact). Our CMC dealt with the ship’s CMC and he explained that since we were coming back from cruise in early December we needed to raise funds for our Christmas party. No go. Meanwhile, thanks to the Avenger Cafe and the Starbucks coffee drinks that they sold (courtesy of the trained baristas who’d been sent TAD to some course) were used, along with vending machine profits, to fund their ship’s Christmas party. If I recall correctly, the air wing got some paltry sum of the vending machine money, but it was not doled out on a per capita basis.
All money from the sale of items at the ship's store and the vending machines goes to pay the overhead for the store/machines (e.g. requisition items out of the DLA or GSA supply system) and then any leftover profits go to the ship's MWR fund. So when you guys are running separate gedunks, you are, in fact, literally taking money out of the MWR fund. Not like you have many options underway. If you don't believe me, feel free to consult NASUP P-487. I believe the information you are looking for is in chapter 8. If you want to have separate MWR funds for the air wing, then that's a completely different beast and one that will need approval from the big porkchop in the sky at the Fleet or TYCOM level (I had to fight this exact battle when dealing with someone trying to shutdown the closed mess on board the PCs).
@Brett327 I’m not opposed to paying for food on the boat. But if I’m eating the same thing that’s being served on the mess decks...who’s subsidizing who here? I’m paying for food that’s already been paid for, so is it really on a cost basis? I’ve never been refunded anything from the boat, and I have a hard time believing the cost of goods ACTUALLY provided comes out to exactly $11.35 a day or whatever.
You would be absolutely surprised how closely the food on the boat gets tracked. Food money comes from two or three different pots of money depending upon who it's for. The majority of the chow aboard a Navy ship is paid for from the blue jackets' and goat locker's BAS (IIRC it's about 85% of each Sailor's BAS goes to the ship or galley ashore if they're shoreside) while a small portion is then paid out of supplemental funds for receptions/banquets when hosting dignitaries and out of special funding for flag officers' personal culinary specialist(s). The wardroom and all officer messing essentially buys food from the ship's galley and pays for that via wardroom dues and monthly mess bills. So if you were to not pay your mess bill, then it's no different than dining and dashing at a restaurant. This is a holdover from the days when the goat locker and wardroom operated as closed messes wherein all of the officers drafted a budget, pooled their money, and sent their cook out to purchase food on the economy. With the Navy's shift to a more centralized logistics model and the adoption of the 21 week menu (not to mention the rampant fraud occurring in these closed messes), this is no longer tenable. If you'd like more information, consult the NAVSUP P-486.
@Brett327I have a hard time believing the cost of goods ACTUALLY provided comes out to exactly $11.35 a day or whatever.
It's actually slightly more expensive, but that covers logistical costs so you never see it.