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Name your favorite commercial grocery retailer. Be it Walmart, Giant, Target or Wegmans, they’ve each got their own line of private label products. And if you’re anything like me, you’re more than happy to add a store brand item to your cart if it means a few dollars off your bill.
And now, DeCA, has expanded its arsenal in the fight to keep our commissaries open by launching a series of new products under its own store brand. Commissary shoppers rejoice! Even more savings? I’ll take it.
While the plan to add commissary private label products to the shelves has been in the works for over a year, the private label program’s 2 easily recognizable and aptly-named brands — Freedom’s Choice and Homebase — were officially announced in February.
Freedom’s Choice branded food products will be sourced from leading manufacturers and undergo a rigorous testing and selection process. Homebase products will be non-food items including things like plastic bags. As a weekly commissary shopper, I for one, can hardly wait to see these new products hit the shelves.
A Year of Creative Initiatives
It’s hard not to be impressed by the series of creative initiatives DeCA has rolled out in the last year in an attempt to revitalize local commissaries and help shrink the nearly billion-dollar taxpayer-funded subsidy required to keep commissaries open. These initiatives have included everything from variable pricing structures to curbside pick-up.
Private labeling seems to be one of the most promising efforts. In fact, according to the DeCA website, nearly 60% of its patrons expressed an openness to buying a private label product.
“Our customers have been asking for private label for a long time,” said DeCA’s director and CEO Joseph H. Jeu.
If commissary shoppers hold true to their word, the planned product line seems destined for success. In fact, if all goes according to plan, the new private label product line could help reduce commissary costs by half a billion dollars in the next 10 years.
The new program promises that nearly 1,000 private label products will be on commissary shelves by the end of 2017, but shoppers will only see a few initial products. The first products were due to hit shelves in May, and a recent visit to the Fort Meade commissary confirmed that the program is indeed underway.
My First Private Label Purchase
I expected to see the products presented with a greater fanfare, but I was able to locate 2 products, bottled water under the Freedom’s Choice label and kitchen garbage bags under the Homebase brand. Both were attractively packaged and both were offered at a substantial savings over the next cheapest brand.
The case of water offered a $0.40 savings over our usual brand. Calculated out, a 40-cent savings on each of 2 cases of water per week would save our family just over $40 per year! I am also happy to report, that as far as taste is concerned, the water was met with the approval of our entire family – including one kid who happens to be very particular about her bottled water!
I will be keeping my eyes open for additional private labels items. My hope is we will see products like pasta, gluten-free items, vitamins and juices. It might also be nice to see it in the freezer section on items like frozen vegetables, ice cream and even pizza.
My hope is that in sourcing items for this product line, DeCA will keep the dietary needs of military families in mind. It would be great to see items offered at a low cost that also make eating healthy a little bit easier.
“This sounds like a good idea,” wrote Edward J. Hermann. “Under certain circumstances I could certainly see using such a facility like a sick call operation.”
Currently, many service members, veterans, retirees and their families are experiencing long wait times to be seen at a military treatment facility. Sometimes they are visiting the local ER for more serious concerns or when they need a same-day diagnosis and treatment plan. This ties up ER personnel.
“It could cut down the use of the ER, especially on weekends, for those runny noses, colds, sinus, aches, etc., that many times plague the waiting rooms,” Bauman further commented. “The ER personnel could concentrate on true emergencies.”
Others commented on the expanded training capabilities and broadening of experiences for medical personnel.
“As a former Army medical member the idea of a clinic in the commissary sounds great,” Joseph Moorhouse wrote. “The medical personal would receive experience in a broad area of patients and an outpatient clinic in the store would be very convenient.”
Readers Question Food Safety
While many on the positive side cited increased convenience and access to timely medical care, others questioned the wisdom of having these clinics where we buy our food.
“Honestly, I don’t think that would be an appropriate place to see sick people. Why in heaven’s name would one allow germs around the foods that we have to eat?” wrote Dee. “I can’t see anything good coming of that idea.”
Many others echoed her thoughts. Some voiced support for the clinics as a place for vaccines.
“As a place to get a shot, I would have no problem with that,” commented Ken Myrick. “I really do not want to have to be around people who have infectious diseases around my food sources.”
Duane Schneider would completely avoid the commissary if walk-in medical care was added there.
“I would not go to the commissary for medical,” he wrote. “In fact, I would quit going to the commissary because it is crowded enough now without the traffic (of) sick people.”
Alternative Suggestions and More Questions
Some readers offered solutions to the concern about food safety. Several readers suggested opening a storefront in the commissary or exchange complex.
“I do think that the exchange venue would be a better alternative,” wrote Janet J. Bamford. “If the idea really ‘took off,’ it would be another step in the right direction. They are found within the military communities, and usually have longer operating hours. Furthermore, it could be an easier program to implement, if you began with a few shoppettes around the country. It’s unlikely that the corpsmen would be deluged with patients, especially if more than one shoppette in the community is staffed.”
Readers also raised concerns about who would be allowed to access these clinics.
“That sounds like a nice idea,” commented Catherine B. “Would they also treat veterans with commissary and exchange privileges?”
This pilot program is still in the planning stages and the Jacksonville, Fl., test clinic has not yet been opened.
It’s not too late to express your opinion on the Navy’s medical clinic pilot program! Share your thoughts in the comment section.