There are many great reasons to shop at your military commissary and saving money on groceries is usually No. 1. The commissary is able to sell products on average for 30 percent less than those at civilian grocery stores because all items are sold at cost. This is a great savings for customers, but some still question the real savings when they see the 5 percent surcharge added at the checkout.
Why is there a surcharge at the commissary and what does it cover?
It goes right back into the stores, paying for new construction, renovations and repairs, equipment and store-level information technology systems such as the checkouts. This provides modern facilities for service members at a reduced cost to taxpayers.
According to the Defense Commissary Agency, “the surcharge does not diminish commissary savings, because it is included in our savings calculations along with any state sales tax applied at the retail grocery stores, to show how much our customers actually save at the register.”
The surcharge isn’t new. In fact, Congress set the surcharge in 1952 at 2 percent in order to make commissaries more self-sustaining and less reliant on appropriated funding. It was raised three more times over the years and has stayed at 5 percent since 1983. This surcharge covers all stateside and overseas commissaries now.
The law requires the surcharge to be added to all items sold at the commissary and is therefore applied to the total purchase before coupon deductions are made. For example, if you have $50 worth of groceries before coupons then the 5 percent surcharge would be applied as $50 x .05 = $2.50. If you then have $10 worth in coupons the total at the end of your bill will be $50 + $2.50 surcharge = $52.50 – $10 =$42.50
The next time you buy groceries at the commissary look at your receipt. That surcharge is the amount you personally contributed to improve your commissary.
I understand the surcharge, however why don’t you just add it to the items in the store.
Thank you for your time
Peggy Anacker
I feel privileged to be able to shop at the commissary on KAFB in Albuquerque; my late husband spent 20 years in the Navy and I feel this is one of his ‘perks’ that has been passed along to me as his surviving spouse. Thank you for being there!!
This does nothing to make me want to make the trip to my nearest commissary. I can shop in town a few blocks from home for less even paying the local sales tax etc. You are/were doing comparison shopping at the highest priced grocery stores in this area the last I went to the commissary. The produce was often old and not fit to carry out of the store and still you marked it at the local prices while I could buy it in town for at least a dollar less and it was fresh. Talked to and showed the produce manager the problem and she went through unbelievable cases of lettuce and one was as bad as the next. That was just the lettuce the strawberries and other fruit was just as bad and high dollar while in town it was much cheaper and fresh kept for close to three weeks in the fridge. No they would have to show me much more than they had when I shopped on a regular basis.
I definitely agree with you on the produce. I also notice sometimes when you buy hamburger at the commissaries that often in the bulk packages at the commissary the underneath hamburger is old and smelling bad while the hamburger on top that you see through the package looks nice and fresh. Some things are cheaper, like the packaged name brand fish and some of the other name brand frozen goods. Yet, often I can get boxed items, laundry soap, and things cheaper in town watching for sales, even paying sales tax. Plus I don’t have to spend the gas driving to the commissary, as we live a town away, since my husband is a retired Marine. The Commissary is not always cheaper.
Why am I able to buy many items cheaper at walmart
I agree with Joanne. I find produce to always be old and oftentimes moldy (especially strawberries). That said, you can’t beat the meat prices. Also, our Commissary at Tinker has a pretty decent “scratch and dent” section that my husband and I enjoy perusing. If I’m near Tinker, going to the Commissary is definitely worth it for everything other than produce, surcharge and all!
Just add the surcharge to each item so we can make a fair comparison. I’m sure you computer programs can figure out the surcharge to satisfy the meddlers in congress!
Recently I was shopping at the Commissary in Tucson, AZ . I had some coupons printed out from the Military
Shopper website.for fancy feast cat food. However the coupons were not honored
I love to shop at the Commissary, many items are much cheaper. The problem is one could over spend.
I enjoy and appreciate shopping at the commissary. And there are items I can get at the commissary that I am otherwise unable to get else where.
Where in the world do you live Joanne Kurtz? I have a Walmart and other stores closer than 1-1/2 and 3 miles and I’m handicapped and don’t drive. My closest commissary is 12 miles. I visit my commissary often, and I simply haven’t found your problem. I’m so sorry. Oh, I live in VA and have LAFB & Ft. Eustis. There must be a solution to your problem but I’m too old and sick to be of service.
Not only do I find the commissary prices, as a rule, just as high as in my local store, I am finding less and less military coupons. And 30cents off if I buy three of the item is no incentive at all. Especially when I only need and have room for one at home.
I find I am shopping less and less at the commissary. It just isn’t worth the extra driving time and gas money.
I have to agree with the WalMart comment, also a better selection than the Commissary. The distributors aren’t allowed in early so the Isles are crowded and the shelves are bare. Then when you look for an item you liked the commissary stops carrying it. Maybe it’s just bad management at the Mayport,Fl. commissary but it sure happens a lot and often. Produce is terrible.
Our nearest commissary has remodeled and has new refrigeration cases. Very neat and clean looking since the change. My husband retired from the army and we stopped using the commissary after our children were grown. We now are on fixed income since he is unable to work so I have begun using the commissary again. I SAVE through coupons and the lower prices at the commissary. I still shop WalMart for some items that are cheaper. I have found that our Wal=Mart isn’t cheaper than the commissary on most items. I also bulk buy and do a months worth of grocery shopping on my trips. It does save me money in the long run. Having a shopping list, meal planning also help with savings. I love our commissary because I can get exotic items and many international food items, that we can’t get in our stores here.
Since commissary sells items by cost (no profit), is this means that commissary are buying hundreds of items at a higher prices compared to commercial markets? I said this because a number of products have the same price as commercial stores. OR is this means that commercial stores are not making profits on all those products (which is hard to believe)? I agree that we are saving money shopping in commissary and that is the reason we still go there even if it is farther away. But I think there’s still more room for improvement if we can review those products which sell the same outside. There is no way that they are only making 2 to 10 cents for a $2 -$4 item. Just a thought.. But if the congress wins and your price is about the same outside I won’t be coming back. Good job overall so far. I still like you!
I like to shop at the commissary and find some items cheaper than down town. I do not agree that the items are sold at cost in the commissary. I think some items are made a little cheaper but not sold to us at cost.
Why do you spend time and money to rearrange the commissary shelves? I just learn where everything is and in 6 months or so it is all changed. Then I can’t find and item and don’t get it so have to go to my grocery store close home to purchase it at a higher cost.. They said the last time they changed
it was so that all the commissaries would be the same configuration.
A waste of time, money and inconvenience to the customers.
I always wonder that too. I’m frequently stopping a commissary employee and asking for help locating an item. I find that’s faster than wondering around looking for the item.
The produce is sometimes at a higher price at the commissary, the local stores use items as loss leaders to get you in the store. They more than make up for those low prices by selling bakery items, frozen food, paper products, and toiletries, and many other items at higher prices.
The quality of the produce depends of the produce manager’s. Have a problem, go to the STORE MANAGER! The problem will be addressed.