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.
