Amongst the constant rumors and recommendations that military pay be frozen, or retirements be changed, or Tricare costs go up, there are always the comments about the military commissaries and exchanges. A recent report discussed cutting commissaries as one way of cutting costs for the Department of Defense. Amy Bushatz at SpouseBUZZ did an excellent article on the current situation. I love her summary, "In the end we all ignored the whole thing and moved on with our lives." I'm pretty sure that is exactly what will happen this time, but who knows...
I'm curious. How do you all feel about military commissaries? Is it a benefit you treasure, or do you find it just as easy and inexpensive to shop your local stores. What would you do if commissaries were to close?
During my 20 years of military spousedom, I've had periods of time when I've been an avid commissary shopper, and other times where I was just as likely to go to a civilian grocery store. Most of it depends on the particular area, the distance from my house to the commissary, and the coupon policies of the civilian stores. However, as a fall-back, I always end up at the commissary because it is significantly less expensive overall. Yes, I can find certain items much cheaper off-base, and sometimes I like the selection off-base better, but I don't always have hours to make trips to multiple stores. When I am trying to conserve both time and money, it is the commissary for me.
Share your thoughts - I'd love to know!
