Military Life News

Military Life News, Commissary Rewards and Military Discounts

Shoppers Call New Fort Belvoir Commissary ‘Amazing’

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I was one of many commissary shoppers excited to be part of the opening day festivities at the new $38 million commissary at Fort Belvoir.

New Fort Belvoir Commissary

The Fort Belvoir commissary certainly has something for everyone.

Located just south of Washington, D.C., Fort Belvoir has one of the busiest commissaries. The former commissary was built in 1981.  It was time for an update and this update was an amazing one.

The new commissary at Fort Belvoir has a sales area of 82,600 square feet. This is a huge increase from the 57,000-square-foot commissary it replaced. I’m sure I was not the only patron to walk through the doors and be awestruck at the sheer size of the complex.

If you have the opportunity to go, the new commissary at Fort Belvoir is worth the drive.

The selection of products is vast, with more than 21,000 items on the shelves. The fresh produce area is extremely spacious and has a huge selection including organic and locally grown items.

New Commissary at Fort Belvoir

Are you a health conscious person? The Living Well Corner is for you.

There is a sushi bar where trained professionals make sushi right there while you watch. You can get sushi custom made. It is located right by the international delicatessen, which has a huge selection of meats and cheeses. Make sure you check out the freshly made meals and side items while you are there. When your spouse is on deployment, picking up some of these delicious items will make dinners quick and easy.

The Fort Belvoir commissary certainly has something for everyone.

Are you a health conscious person? The Living Well Corner is for you. There are over 1,500 organic, gluten-free, natural and non-GMO items. You’ll find them dry, fresh, refrigerated and frozen.

While shopping at the Fort Belvoir commissary, you’ll be sure to notice how wide the aisles are. They were actually designed to be 3 carts wide to enable shoppers to move through the aisles with ease. Have you ever been stuck while someone stood and looked for the item they wanted? That will be a problem of the past here. With more space, customers will be able to navigate easily through the aisles without a problem.

New Fort Belvoir Commissary

The new commissary, with all of its impressive features is sure to draw an even larger crowd now.

When it comes to checkout time, Fort Belvoir makes it is a breeze with 30 checkouts. This includes 8 self-checkouts. You won’t be waiting in line for long here. Even on opening day, with thousands of shoppers, the line moved quickly.

The Fort Belvoir commissary has an impressive bakery that you shouldn’t miss. Pick up some tasty treats to bring home for the family. Stop by the meat department after that for a nice steak. The meat selection is very good and the prices won’t be beat. The seafood department is just as impressive. If you don’t feel like cooking, pick up a rotisserie chicken.

New Fort Belvoir Commissary

You won’t be waiting in line for long at the new commissary at Fort Belvoir.

The Fort Belvoir commissary was already one of DeCA’s busiest commissaries. It is a leader in annual sales, doing about $97 million annually. The new commissary, with all of its impressive features is sure to draw an even larger crowd now. Many military families feel that commissary shopping is one of the most important benefits. You’ll find plenty of reasons to visit this beautiful new commissary at Fort Belvoir, with its vast selection of items at great prices.

The Fort Belvoir commissary cost $38 million. Not only is it much larger than the one it replaced, but it is also more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The funding for it came from the 5 percent surcharge that is added when customers check out at commissaries. Your patronage at local commissaries helped make this new commissary possible.

Did you know that the 5 percent surcharge on your commissary bill pays for new facilities like this commissary at Fort Belvoir? Learn more about the surcharge by clicking here.

On-Site Sales Available to National Guard, Reserve

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The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) recently announced that commissaries around the world are offering special benefits for National Guard and Reserve troops. These service members and their families, can take advantage of on-site and online sales through the holiday season. Sites run coast to coast within the United States, with 1 overseas location in Camp Fuji, Japan.

Essentially, this sales program for National Guard and Reserve is like a case lot sale.

Locations that don’t have a commissary will have special short-term sales. These sales will run through both Thanksgiving and the December holidays. While the items at each location may vary, families will be sure to find pantry and holiday favorites. Some of the featured items include: ham, canned fruits and veggies, turkey and snack items.

All eligible commissary beneficiaries can take advantage of this opportunity to stock up on pantry staples and special holiday foods!

However, this program is only being offered at specific locations and on a set number of dates. For information about each site, check out that commissary’s website or contact them via email or phone.

Pre-plan, Pre-order and Pre-pay for Your Holiday Meals

Some of these special sales are offering online pre-orders! That means your family can pick out your grocery items in advance, guaranteeing you that special treat you crave. You will pay for your groceries with a credit card when you place your order.

This online service has the potential to help military families with their holiday budgets. By pre-ordering and pre-paying for your holiday feast, you can get your budget ready for the holiday expenses early. Plus, you won’t be shocked by the cost of your feast!

Take Advantage of Your Commissary Benefits

For most active duty troops, using the commissary benefit is as easy as pie. With the local commissary minutes away from where you work, active duty families can snag cheaper groceries on a regular basis.

For National Guard or Reserve families, it can be harder to access this benefit. There are Guard and Reserve troops in every city and town nationwide. A fully functional base may be hours away!

When going to the grocery store is a full-day event, families might not use the commissary often. By bringing the commissary closer to home, National Guard and Reserve families can exercise their benefits more easily.

This can help trim the bottom line during the holidays too. The cost differences between shopping “out in town” at the local markets and the commissary can be as high as 40 percent! Those precious dollars could mean a huge budget difference for many military families.

On-Site Sales Aren’t Only for Guard and Reserve

Any authorized beneficiary can take advantage of this great offer! From active duty to retired, if you can shop at a commissary you can go to these on-site sales. This will help active duty service members at recruiting stations or located away from a major installation.

Retirees will also be able to come out and purchase their holiday feasts closer to their location.

DeCA May Gain New Customers

By bringing the commissary closer to Guard and Reserve service members, DeCA is spreading some holiday cheer and goodwill.

This shows a real effort by the agency to help all beneficiaries, in all locations.

Reduced hours and required furloughs have been hard for the last few years. For some families, that might have been a turn-off to shopping there.

This program will help to show a friendlier side to the commissary. With special events closer to home, more Guard and Reserve families are likely to shop there. These on-site sales extend the commissary benefits to more families and creates a positive feeling about DeCA with them.

What do you think of this pre-order, pre-pay program for National Guard and Reserve?

DeCA Hosts Healthy Lifestyle Festivals in July

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There’s always a lot of emphasis on adopting healthy habits during the New Year. But you don’t need to wait until January 1 to start a new fitness routine or incorporate more fresh produce into your meal planning. You can pledge to make healthy lifestyle changes today.

Supporting the military community’s health and wellness goals is the focus of the Defense Commissary Agency’s military resale partnership event, Your Healthy Lifestyle Festival.

This annual event features discounted prices on produce at commissary farmers markets, savings on workout equipment and apparel at exchanges, health screenings at local clinics and fitness events hosted by the post morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) activities, according to a DeCA press release. Commissaries worldwide will be hosting healthy lifestyle festivals between July 1 and July 31.

“We heartily support DoD’s many initiatives to improve the health and wellness of service members and their families. Supporting this fest is a great way to continue that tradition,” said DeCA Sales Director Tracie Russ. “Together, the military resale community helps reinforce the installation as the No. 1 destination for partnership events.”

The healthy lifestyle festivals vary slightly from base to base. This event, which is a collaborative effort of commissaries, exchanges, MWR services and our industry partners, may include exchange sidewalk sales, MWR fitness events, demos, music, free nutritious food samples, prize giveaways, discount coupon offers, health and wellness information and children’s programs. Event details will be announced through the local military installation’s media, such as a base newspaper or a Facebook page.

The healthy lifestyle festivals will shine a spotlight on the commissaries’ worldwide farmers market program.

“Our patrons are in for a treat when it comes to the quality produce offered at our farmers markets,” Russ said. “Thanks to the creativity of our store personnel and industry partners who inject plenty of imagination and excitement into our farmers markets, combined with the exchange sales and the MWR fitness events, this festival will be a must-attend for our military customers.”

In the past, commissary shoppers have said that quality fresh produce is a priority for them. They want to buy locally grown produce at their commissaries. The healthy lifestyle festival is a way for commissary patrons to see what types of fresh produce are available at their commissaries that they may be overlooking.

Last year’s festival was the first of what has become an annual event combining the best of the military community’s efforts to help improve the health and wellness of service members and their families, according to the DeCA press release.

The majority of the healthy lifestyle festivals will be held on military installations this month. Commissary shoppers can find the participating military installations and dates on Your Healthy Lifestyle Festival page.

A few locations scheduled their event in June to avoid calendar conflicts, DeCA said in a press release.

Here is the list of bases that already had their healthy lifestyle festivals: Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California; Chievres Air Base, Belgium; Dugway Proving Ground, Utah; Izmir Air Station, Turkey; Los Angeles Air Force Base; Naval Station Mayport, Florida; Naval Base Pearl Harbor Commissary, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Naval Shipyard Portsmouth, Maine; and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California.

Click here for the complete list of dates for healthy lifestyle festivals at commissaries worldwide.