Do you know what the commissary’s Early Bird program is?
I have always seen signs about the Early Bird program at my commissary but I never knew how the program could benefit me.
I assumed the program was for certain people or just for those who are in the military, not their families. I was happy to learn more about the program and was glad to hear that the Early Bird program is there to help anyone who shops at the commissary.
The commissary’s Early Bird program is a program for shoppers who need 15 items or less. You can shop at the commissary before normal operating hours and pick up your necessary items.
You can’t do your big shopping this way but if you can stay under the 15-item limit, the program can be a good one to take advantage of. This program can help people save money because of the lower costs of shopping at the commissary compared to a convenience store.
The Early Bird program allows people to go into the commissary, get what they need and not have to wait until regular hours to shop.
The Early Bird program can benefit a lot of people who normally shop at the commissary. From military service members that might need to grab something quick in the morning to retirees that don’t want to worry about the crowds and only need a few things when they go.
During the normal store hours, commissaries can get quite busy. I have been to the commissary on days when the line went all the way to the back of the store. If you just need a few items that wait is not going to be the best way to go about getting them.
With the Early Bird program, you do have to plan ahead. You would need to get to the commissary within the time that they have for the program.
Do you know about your commissary’s Early Bird program?
To find out you would need to check the website for your commissary. Here at Fort Campbell the Early Bird program’s hours are 7-8 a.m., Monday through Saturday. It is available at Bolling Air Force Base from 7:30-9:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. At Pensacola NAS, the Early Bird program is open from 7:30-8 a.m. daily while it isn’t an option at the commissary at Twentynine Palms.
Not every commissary will have the Early Bird program and the days and hours might differ based on where you are located.
If you think the Early Bird program will save you time and money, you should try it out. The next time you find yourself wanting to run to a convenience store, see if you can hit up the Early Bird program at your commissary instead.
You can save money this way because the items you need will be cheaper at the commissary. Regular convenience stores can cost even more than a civilian grocery store. By shopping at the commissary instead, you can avoid having to deal with the high costs associated with those types of stores.
