I enjoy shopping at the commissary. Every fort and base I’ve lived near, as an Army brat and now as a Navy spouse, has had a good commissary and I’ve always shopped at them.
I am completely bummed that we are moving this summer to a location that does not have a commissary.
When we drove up for a short house-hunting trip, I made sure we drove to the next closest base to see what their commissary is like. A friend had told me it has a small commissary. How small? There were only 6 isles and 3 cashiers.
Not all commissaries are created equal is an understatement.
I was so disappointed. It was instantly obvious that I would not be able to do our weekly grocery shopping at the commissary. I really am bummed. I like my routine and the money we save by shopping there. When it snowed here recently and the bases were closed, I bought our groceries out in town and the bill was $75 more than my usual bill at the commissary. That was an eye-opener.
Every move has its challenges and ever military installation is different. Here in Virginia Beach I am within a 20-minute drive of 3 commissaries. They are each a bit different. The one on JEB Little Creek-Fort Story has a more open floor plan than the others and it is right next to the Exchange, which is very convenient. It is my preferred commissary to shop at, especially since it has more than 20 checkout lanes.
Cellphone reception for some reason seems to be universally poor at commissaries. I’m excited that NAS Oceana Commissary is the first one to test free Wi-Fi. That is so helpful with keeping up with the electronic coupons on my rewards card as I tend to forget to load them ahead of time.
I don’t use the deli, but I have had delicious birthday cakes made at the bakery. Some commissaries do not have a deli or bakery while others have really big and popular ones. Some embrace technology and have a kiosk for customers to order their deli and bakery items while others I’ve shopped at still only have the option to take a number and wait in line. NAS Oceana’s deli actually has its own Facebook page.
It will be strange not to have any of these options on our next assignment. The commissary’s slogan “it’s worth the drive” has always been something I agreed with. There is one more base just within driving distance so I might make a monthly trip there if it turns out to have a good commissary.
I’m sure I’m not alone in facing disappointment on the size difference of commissaries. Naval Base San Diego boasts DeCA’s largest commissary. Its 126,000-square-foot store offers 22,500 items; that’s 2,000 more than the store held before it was remodeled. Imagine if you came from a tiny commissary and walked into that one? You would probably be quite overwhelmed. Bigger isn’t always better to everyone.
I would like to try the coffee kiosks in one of the newer commissaries. You get to blend your own beverage. I haven’t been to one that has such a thing, nor have I been to one that has a health and wellness department. The commissary at Naval Base San Diego has both of those. Perhaps one day we’ll be stationed near a commissary that has one.
Keep an eye on the Commissaries.com Guard and Reserve Sales list to see if they bring their stuff to a location nearer to you.
We used to go to the commissary on Fort Monroe, when there was a base there and when there was a commissary there. It was tiny, but I still shopped there and was able to get a good number of items that I needed. What I could not get there, I got in town or at another commissary in the area. My point is, do not discount a commissary just because it is small. You’ll be surprised at what you can find there.
its crazy how true this is, and how you live unaware until you pcs. We actually moved from a place where the closest base with a commissary was over 2hrs away!! Now I live within like 5 different ones. It’s madness
Our two commissaries here in the Atlanta area were closed. We have been promised another one since there are over 250,000 retires in the area. They now say there isn’t any money to build one. Isn’t that what the surcharge is for? What happened to the money??
I drive over one hundred miles to go to the Fort Benning commissary about every six weeks. I have to schedule my trips so I don’t shop on the 15th or the 30th. 🙂
So far the one on Schofield and Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam have been the best Commissaries I’ve every shopped at. But all of their self check outs suck!
The Camp Merrill Commissary may be small, however, the Staff go out of their way to to provide customer service and support is second to none. Although we are somewhat secluded in the mountains of North Carolina, it is nice to have access to a Commissary that goes out of its way to provide the basics.
I particularly li,e Fort Eustis, Virginia, perhaps because I am more familiar with it. But I do also go to Fort Lee, in Petersburg because they sometimes es have different specials from Eustis. I am approximately forty miles from each one. LOVE my commissaries!
I shop at the PSNS commissary at Bremerton, WA because it is closest to me & has almost everything I want. The buyer is very cooperative, bringing in gluten-free items which I requested when my son was diagnosed. There is a larger commissary at Bangor, but the driving distance is double & I like the familiarity of the one I use regularly. I am so grateful for the privilege we have, esp. when I have to pick up something in town & see the price difference.
During my 23 years in the Army, i.e., Alaska, Hawaii, Germany, Ft Campbell, KY, Redstone Arsenal Commissary
is far above. The aisles are wide enough for two people to pass and it always well stocked and have excellent operating hours.
When we are in the area(long ways for us to travel)I enjoy the tranquility of Beale’s commissary. It has a great selection even through it is not large store. The other commissary is McClellan, it offers selections that you will not find in other commissaries for its size. Each is unique for what they offer, I love to shop there. The only draw back is the 3+ hour drive one way to reach each of them. If I know we are going to be in that area I set aside a 3 hour shopping trip inside the store including checking out. It makes for a very long day for us.
I love shopping at the Fort Carson Commissary. They have friendly employees and the facility is always clean. I enjoy the low prices and sales that they carry. I would like more sidewalk sales to come back those have seem to disappear. Overall I enjoy the atmosphere.
We have to drive 80 miles to the commissary at Fort Campbell, Ky . We only go very 6 to 8 weeks.
Come home with a car FULL! However, the money we save makes it well worth the time.
I shop at Joint Base Andrews AFB. It’s not a huge commissary but it has everything we need. They have a pretty good variety of stuff.
My husband was in the Air Force 24 plus years and we lived from Ohio to Louisiana, to Illinois to Hawaii and Florida and when he retired we moved back to our home state of Missouri. We have gone to every commissary on the island of Oahu and every state we have lived in. He passed away 4 years ago and I still go to our Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri Commissary and PX, I save enough at them both to pay for the gas to go there. I just hope and pray that we get to keep them just like they are now!!!
Our bases here in Maine have all been closed. We thank God every day for our small commissary at the Bangor Air National Guard in Bangor, Maine. We are retired Air Force and shop there at least once a month. Without that small Commissary we would have to do our shopping at our local Hannaford.
We shop at the Groton Naval Submarine Base commissary. The old one closed last year was good; the new one opened in April this year is fully up to date in its amenities. It does not have some things that were in the older version, but they are stocking more and more of what they used to carry. The staff in the meat department are outstanding! Walking into this facility is like walking into most newer off base markets.
We live over an hour away, so the drive is worth it when we go shopping!
of course Commissary isn’t created equal. Look at the size of SD Ellsworth AFB that commissary, Look at what they have in stock..it is a tiny commissary.. which isn’t fair to military members because why would some commissary in bigger base has more selection while our base here has a small commissary where lots of things are not sold? For example, Dog food brand…cat food brand….
Scott AFB commissary has gone by the wayside! The past year or two have been the worst ever in our commissary! Invariably, every aisle is out of key items, no matter what time of the day you shop there . The deli AND bakery are CLOSED DOWN!! We’ve been shopping at Scott AFB commissary for 15 years and have seen it go from a super duper thriving store to a run down, out of stock unpleasant store! When shopping there, you will definitely run into other shoppers who are just as disappointed as we are. We have conversations in the store about emailing DECA and how it does NO GOOD!! WE NEED A NEW COMMISSARY MANAGER AT SCOTT AFB Commissary! DECA NEEDS TO WAKE UP AND HELP US KEEP OUR COMMISSARY! I know this is a place to leave good comments about commissaries, but I felt I needed to use another avenue to tell SOMEONE our serious problems at Scott AFB COMMISSARY!!
I like almost every commissary out there…except Fort Lee. One would think at the “mecca of DECA” and with a massively lare increase in Soldiers due to BRAC, that a newer and larger facility would have been in order in lieu of rearranging the inside of the building. It seems to be just as cramped and hard to navigate as before.
I live within ten miles of the commissary at Cherry Point NC so I do all of my main shopping there. It does have a small deli department, not much of a bakery choice but it suits my needs quite well. I know I save a lot by shopping there every month. The exchange is under the same roof so that makes it very convenient to buy there also. The commissary at Camp LeJeune is about forty miles away so I seldom go there, but it is much larger as is the exchange. I am fortunate to have these available to me and surely hope they are not closed down.
LIKE OTHER MILITARY AND RETIRED ,I HAVE SHOPPED COMMISSARY STORES BOTH WEST AND EAST AND OVER SEAS ..
ITEM SELECTION ,SERVICE AND SAVINGS IS ALWAYS GREAT..
I have relied on commissaries while my husband was active duty and still rely on “my commissary” today. From miniscule in Germany to massive at Keesler AFB, they provide such wonderful savings on all products they can’t be beat.. I am saving 20-25% each week over outside stores, including the big box places. They are one of the best perks of military life.
I am fortunate to have 2 commissaries within reasonable distance. Gulfport NCBC and Keesler AFB. Both were totally rebuilt after Katrina, but in completely different ways.
The Navy base is my weekly go to; closer and much smaller than Keesler, but many times the majority of my staple items are cost less. They don’t have a very high turnover rate, so I have a connection with my cashiers and baggers. We ask about each others families, pick on each other during football season and even swap recipes from time to time. The butchers and produce managers never give you a hassle if you ask for special items, and keep you updated until the item is procured or they run out of options.
Keesler’s commissary was totally re-imagined after the storm. A huge wal-mart size store that has it all. Even walking in is an experience, as you are in a sort of atrium filled with all of the potted plants for sale. Massive and very well lit with wide isles, it usually takes me quite some time to get through it. We usually go to Keesler about once a month, but I always enjoy it. Every department has so many special things, it’s impossible to list them all. The produce area is actually 2x the size of the one in our local Wal Mart(s)-awesome when you eat as many veggies and fruit as we do! Some of the other things I love are the availability of ingredients to prepare foods that I learned to cook overseas, many of which I cannot find anywhere else locally; the manager’s special isle that many times has bulk size items; the “specials” in the meat department like bison, bison mix, and knockwurst. My younger kids actually vounteer to grocery shop with me when we go here.
We drive from Orlando to Patrick Air Force Base at Cocoa Beach, Fl. to pick up prescriptions and shop at their commissary. That commissary always sends flyers announcing its sales which helps tremendously. They are always courteous and willing to special order.
Their restrooms are inadequate, however, and truly outdated. Furthermore, it is dirty and smells. The employees use the women’s two stalls as well as customers, which means frequent long lines. The employees tell the customers that they have priority since they have to get back to work. Since all of Florida’s population is mostly seniors and often, handicapped, we make sure we stop at the Exchange first!
I like the Randolph A FB commissary it is so easy to get around without to much trouble.. As a senior citizen we need all the time to get around . There is always some one to help us out.
The Fort Belvoir, VA Commissary Rocks Our Planet, but when you interact with Tiny Tim (a Manager), Mary Lou, Michelle Sibinski, Susan, Elsa, Jasmine, Dexter, Susana Whitehead, Marilyn, Lee, Big Dave, and Annie-Get-Your-Gun at checkout, there’s no question about it: They Are The Best, Period!
McDill in Fla. was the best I have visted. We like Ft. Dix and Dover. I would like to see more Veterans and Spouses employed at the stores. We do appreciate having the stores and the savings it affords the Veterans families.
I enjoy our commissary at Seymour Johnson. It is not so large that it is overwhelming, and I very seldom can’t find what I need. I truly appreciate having a commissary to shop at.
Naval Base San Diego is definitely my favorite. It’s HYOOOGE! My husband retired recently and we moved and I miss it a lot. We currently live 85 miles from the Cannon AFB commissary, which is pretty small. We’ll be moving to Albuquerque soon, so we’ll have access to the Kirtland AFB commissary, which isn’t too bad, but definitely can’t beat the selection at NBSD.