Just this past weekend as we were browsing the aisles at the commissary an announcement was made over the store intercom alerting shoppers to the fact that military Exchanges’ online shopping will soon be available to all veterans. It’s a newly added benefit that has seen a tremendously positive response.
But what about commissary privileges?
A MilitaryShoppers article looked at who is authorized to shop at the commissary and opened up discussion about whether commissary privileges should be extended to all veterans.
Cathy B suggested that commissary privileges “should be granted to all those veterans rated under 100% on a limited basis of 12 shopping trips a year plus a bonus trip during November in honor of Veterans Day.”
Carl felt differently. “Someone who did 4yrs should not get the same privileges as someone who did 20 or 30 yrs,” he wrote.
Reading through the comments, it’s easy to see that this is a hot topic for our readers and rightfully so. Shopping at the commissary does offer considerable savings on most products. Let’s address a few of the most common points of contention and some misconceptions.
Disabled Veteran Benefits
While it’s true that veterans with a 100% disability rating from the VA can shop at the commissary, veterans who receive at least a 30% disability rating from the military, are considered medically retired and do retain commissary benefits.
The 2 disability ratings are different. One is given by the VA and one by the military service itself. So many disabled veterans, especially those whose employment options are limited due to any service-connected injuries or conditions, are already granted privileges.
All Veterans Should Get to Shop
This is an idea express by many readers, but there are some logistical and economic factors that make a blanket open door policy difficult.
As some of our readers mentioned, how do we grant access to those who do not retain ID card privileges?
While the Exchange opened shopping to all veterans, that benefit was only extended online. And the Exchange is a self-sufficient, profit-positive business model that benefits from an increase in the size of its customer base. The more buyers you have, the greater your power to leverage those buyers when negotiating prices with manufacturers and suppliers.
The commissary is a taxpayer subsidized model. The bigger the customer base, the greater the subsidy required to continue to stock shelves and pay employees.
And where would we draw the line? Technically, if you’ve served a day, you are a veteran.
Does one day of service entitle you to benefits?
What if you’ve never been deployed?
Who would make that determination?
Are There Other Ways to Make it Work?
Some readers suggested that a special ID card could be issued or “benefit cards” like what the National Guard and Reserves use for their “once a month” shopping privileges prior to 9/11. This might be a viable option, but there would be additional costs associated with creating and maintaining the records necessary to make a program like this work.
Another suggestion made was to charge a fee, much like the national warehouse stores. This fee might prove an additional revenue stream to help close commissary budget shortfalls.
But it is important to consider what a huge influx of potential customers would do to the shopping experience. More shoppers creates additional strain on gate security and road resources. Parking, while usually ample, is limited, as are shelf space and checkout lanes.
An influx of customers could potentially see frequent outages of staple products and longer checkout lines. Which in turn, devalues the benefit being offered to those who are currently entitled to receive it.
I wholeheartedly understand why so many want to share the commissary benefit with all veterans. It is a sentiment born out of loyalty and a sense of community.
Should we see a revamped profit-earning business model like the Exchange emerge opening up commissaries to all veterans would make sense.
However, when you consider the financial and logistical impact, it becomes clear that opening the commissary doors to all veterans is just not a feasible option at present.
Since not all veterans’ retain the privileges to enter a base maybe the commissary would need to develop an online shopping store like PeaPod or Amazon that will deliver groceries to those veterans’ and others who might not wish to travel to or be near enough a commissary. The technology to do that sort of thing is out there. The veterans will already be going onto Shopmyexchange.com come this November 11th to order products. Since I do not drive I might use a commissary site as well and have my groceries delivered to my home. In the case of Veterans who are not 100% Service Connected or retired the use of the website can be limited to 13 times a year with monthly codes to use the site being sent to them along with discount coupons.
I like shopping at the commissary with my husband. We really couldn’t afford meats if I couldn’t shop there. We live approximately 95 miles and it’s the closest and the best commissary I have found. I believe that veterans should have privilege to shop there and I have no insight which would be the best way. God bless and good luck making these decisions.
If you didn’t retire with at least 20 years of service or have a disability that allows for shopping at the Commissary, you should not be shopping there. By allowing it, it’s just another method of eroding away at what few privileges and benefits I supposedly obtained for spending 23 years in service. It should be left as an incentive for someone to join the military and make a career out of it rather than spending a day, month or year or two in service and then gaining what it took me 23 years to earn.
I am also against allowing anyone who is considered to be a military veteran to buy tax free at a military exchange, even if it is online only. I really did earn that privilege. Do away with allowing it!
I agree wholeheartedly! My husband gave our country 27 years of his life at substandard pay so that that he would be able to take advantage of those benefits offered to veterans with at least 20 years service. We are gradually watching the erosion of those benefits. Our healthcare is no longer free, there are less medical services offered to retiree’s on base, now you want to open up the commissary to everyone basically. Already the government is messing with the pricing in the commissary. Why should anyone bother to give their service to this country anymore?
My late husband Sgt.Maj. spent 32 years in the Marine Corps and retired to be entitled to these privileges, I also retired from the Navy we did not spend our lives to protect and defend our country to let anyone that went into to military service for a short time and got out to be given what we worked for, Yes if he or she has a 100% disability service connected I would say yes otherwise NO if you do that then it is the same as telling any civilian they are also entitled and if you don’t you will have a lawsuit for discrimination. We served because we love our country and would do it again in a heart beat but others won’t if you start taking away our privileges and this is just the beginning. I just lost my husband in March to Agent Orange.
Marlene Flynn
I am proud to have served 4 years with the Marines. 1972-1976. I never asked for anything that I didn’t deserve. I honor those who served 20 or more years or any of the other veterans who meet the current criteria that allows them to shop at the commissary. I’m 65 now and have done ok without shopping privileges so whatever the DOD decides on this issue is alright by me. Commissary shopping would be helpful and greatly appreciated but I won’t let this slight rejection cloud my pride for having served. Semper Fi !!!
My husband served 3 not 30 years during the Vietnam War in the Navy. He did not serve 30 years because he was injured aboard ship, operated on aboard ship, reinjured aboard ship, and sent to Balboa Naval Hospital where he was informed his injury was too severe for him to continue serving in the Navy. When he joined, he intended to make the Navy his career. He did not want to be released when he was. He suffered through 30+ surgeries, countless hospital stays, and recuperations. He was in pain for nearly 50 years due to his injuries in the war. He resisted translating from walking to a wheelchair, driving a car without to a car with handicapped plates. He worked until his VA doctors told him he had to quit. He didn’t want handouts, but when he received his 100% rating and commissary privileges, we were relieved. He died November 6 last year, finally at peace. He was one of many veterans who served short terms in the military, and the Army brat in me says, “Well done, good and faithful sailor.”
I am retired from the Navy also 100% disability from the VA I earned the privilege of shopping at the commissary and exchange I do not believe a veteran with less then a 100% or retired is or should be entitled to what I worked for all my life and deserve these things it would be disgraceful if you give it to any veteran under a 100%. If you do then why not open it up to all civilians and say we veterans who served our country and retired are nothing then you are being disrespectful to us. signed by petty officer and late Sgt.Maj. Flynn
I love our Military and happy for what ever rights the Military decides, BUT, with all that is going on in the world, why ask for more threats and not knowing for our safety of our troops on the base. Can you just imagine how many more people who, if they did not have a military ID card, would be at the gates and the security. The base where my husband and I go to shop, the commissary is very small and the lines sometimes are unreal as it is. I hate to say this, but I don’t think it is fair to the active men and woman who have the day off, to have to shop and then stand in line. Some of the ones my husband and I have spoken with, will tell you as of now, they do most of there shopping at Wal-Mart as prices are actually about the same there for what they get. That in it’s self is a shame.
I do think that all of the Active Guards, what ever branch, should have full Military rights to the exchange and commissary and not just a few times a year, as they are ready to put on their uniform and march into where ever they go and their country could do that for them.
I hate it when i’m in the Comm. and I hear cheaper at another store… Of course it is because its their name brand. This is one of the very last privileges we have left, and if we are not careful we will lost it… I for one do use the comm all the time. As for who have chosen to shop downtown I will never understand that.. Now for the question of WHICH VET. should have that privilege, those with HONORABLE discharges of 4 yrs might should qualify, any and all dishonorable and under that should not. I am at a part where its hard to put a yr on it. but again if they are honorably discharged I think maybe it would be ok.. we need to do something to get the people back into the comm… thank you.
DeCA’s biggest problem right now is not “too many” customers. Sales have been declining for years, not months. The Agency has done little to educate or attract new soldiers and their families. For the benefit to continue to be offered the Commissaries need to find customers, not worry about who will stock the additional cases. The Exchanges were concerned that they would not be able to keep up with all the new business, I doubt that’s a problem. Frankly, the prices are not what they used to be. The savings are there, but no longer at the level they once were. Allowing additional shoppers would go a long way towards saving the benefit for everyone.
I would like to see the commissary made available to all HONORABLY discharged Veterans Perhaps in the same fashion as Costco but on property outside of the base or fort. This I believe will increase the retention of service personnel
I don’t think all veterans have a military ID card and that is the only way you can shop at a Military commissary. It would also be a law that no more than two people from the same family can be in a commissary at the same time. Back to the privileges thing. I don’t think my Brother should be allowed to shop in a commissary just because he served two years in the Army.
I am not in favor of granting all veterans Commissary and Exchange privileges. They chose to take civilian jobs for reasons of their own, rather than remaining with the military and earn the privileges that were considered part of their compensation for staying in the service. Now why should they be granted these privileges that the military put in at least twenty years to earn along with whatever benefits that the veterans are receiving from the civilian jobs they earned. Somehow this seems very unfair to the career military. I am wondering how much longer the commissary will be a bargain place to shop. Recently prices have been increased drastically plus the sur-charge, and tipping the baggers that I am finding it cheaper to shop at the Super Walmart which is closer to home.
Contrary to what was stated in the article you are not considered a veteran after serving just one day. You must serve at least 180 days to qualify for that title. Why not let these same “veterans” retain limited Tricare, dental, paid leave, retirement, etc. When will it stop?
I going to ask a question. How many soldiers that spent 20 or more years in the Army went to war? Not every soldiers went to war. How a soldier that spent 20 years in the Army and did not went to war, has more privileged that a soldier that spent for example me 9 years in the Army and when to war and sacrifice 2 year of my life and being away from my kid and my family. Not every soldiers that left the Army was for civilian job. My reason to leave the Army was because my kid go sick and I make the the decision to being be whit them was more important. I love the army and I miss it but my kid are first. In 2015 I loss my oldest son, that gave the reason not to regret leave the Army, because I spent that time with my son. People not every soldier that left the Army was because they wante to, is because they needed to.