It’s that time of year again when the Defense Commissary Agency’s spring Customer Appreciation Case Lot Sale starts at commissaries stateside.
Have you shopped at a case lot sale? May is a great time to stock up on household items you use often.
You’ll find plenty of great deals at the commissary case lot sale to help you fill up your pantry without emptying your wallet.
Case lot sale dates are different for each commissary so be sure to check with the commissary website to see when your local commissary will be having their case lot sale.
Weather can cause the date to change. Call your commissary to confirm the case lot sale is still on schedule if weather in the area has not been good.
Not all commissaries will be having a case lot sale in May. A few had their case lot sales in April.
Eight stateside commissaries will not be participating at all including: Los Angeles AFB, Luke AFB, Davis-Monthan AFB, Patch Barracks, Fort Gordon, Robins AFB, Fort Huachuca and Hurlburt Field.
Military installations that have a case lot sale are only stateside. Overseas commissaries may have sidewalk sales or other promotions that are similar.
What will you find at a case lot sale?
A case lot sale is much like shopping at the big box stores, without the membership fee. They are usually set up under tents in the commissary parking lot. Some of the items you’ll find include:
- Baby products: diapers, wipes, soap and lotion
- Paper products: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins
- Cleaning supplies: laundry detergent, dryer sheets, cleaning wipes and household cleaning products
- Food storage: sandwich bags, storage bags and freezer bags
- Pet supplies: dry and wet dog and cat food and dog and cat treats
- Snacks: bulk chips, cereal, popcorn, crackers, pastries and fruit snacks
- Canned goods: canned vegetables, canned fruit and fruit cups
- International food: Hispanic, Asian and Italian food
- Beverages: bottled water, soda, flavored water, sports drinks and juice
How to prepare for a case lot sale
A successful shopping trip to the commissary case lot sale is one where you buy only items that you will use. Don’t get carried away buying things you won’t use just because they are on sale.
Follow these 8 tips to ensure that you are a smart shopper at your case lot sale.
- Inventory your pantry to see how much you already have.
- Check the amount of space available to store items.
- Empty your vehicle so there is space to bring new products home.
- Make a list of things you would like to stock up on.
- Look for coupons. Yes, you can use coupons. See what is offered on the commissary rewards card and digitally clip the coupons. You can find out more about the commissary rewards card here.
- Eat before you go to the case lot sale so you aren’t tempted to buy extra things just because you are hungry.
- Look at expiration dates on items before you put them in your shopping cart. Can you use that entire product before it expires?
- Take another military spouse or service member with you. If you aren’t able to use all of a product before it expires, consider splitting the products between each other.
Case lot sales are a busy time for commissaries. Make sure you have plenty of time to shop. You can find products on average 50% off.
It is a great time to stock up on items you will use. Make sure to check the dates of your local commissary case lot sale and make plans to attend.
