Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka | Staff Sgt. Christopher Rozario shops at the commissary at the Naval Air Station in...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka
Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs
FALLON, Nev. – The ultimate discount shopping coupon comes in the form of a military identification card for National Guard Soldiers and Airmen.
Since the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act in 2003, National Guardsmen, retirees and their authorized family members have enjoyed unlimited access to the nation’s military commissaries. In Nevada, there are military commissaries at the Naval Air Station as well as at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. Many Nevada Guardsmen are also within close proximity to the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Commissary in Coleville, Calif.
(Before 2003, Guardsmen were limited to 24 commissary shopping days annually.) More than half of Nevada’s Guardsmen live within 30 miles of a military commissary.
Operated by the Defense Commissary Agency headquartered at Fort Lee, Va., commissaries supply groceries, meat, produce, health and beauty supplies and a myriad of sundries to military personnel worldwide via a chain of more than 200 stores. The agency employs more than 15,000 people globally and records more than $5 billion in sales annually.
Patrons purchase their goods at cost plus a five-percent surcharge that covers the cost of new commissaries and modernization. The agency estimates shoppers save an average of 30 percent on their purchases in comparison to commercial prices. An independent survey by the Nevada Guard’s public affairs staff in July revealed a savings of 14 percent on 10 random, common purchases.
“We love having Guardsmen and reservists shop here; it’s definitely a privilege they’ve earned,” said Fallon store director Wendy Matuszak. “Access to commissaries is often an overlooked perk of being in the National Guard. Access is an important aspect of military pay and benefits.”
Staff Sgt. Christopher Rozario of Fallon, a supply sergeant in the Lands and Ranges Section of Joint Force Headquarters, shops at the Fallon commissary monthly and verified the cost savings claims.
“What costs me about $120 at the civilian grocery stores costs about $100 at the commissary,” Rozario said. “Just like shopping anywhere, you need to know what the values are and predetermine what you are shopping for.”
Rozario, 40, said his family of four shops at the commissary about 25 percent of its total shopping excursions and he likened a trip to the commissary to a visit to Costco.
“There really are some great sales; it’s a good place to go to stock up, especially for dry goods such as cereal, noodles and beans and condiments. I always stock up on toaster strudels and barbecue sauce there,” Rozario said. “Although the price is very similar, the quality of the meat at the commissary is better than at local stores.”
Matuszak said shoppers could increase their savings by joining the Commissary Reward Card program. Cardholders receive automatic deductions on certain goods. She said each commissary hosts several bulk and case lot sales each year; call the local commissary for sale dates. Also, commissaries accept any manufacturer’s coupon and an array of coupons are usually available at the entrance to Nevada commissaries.
Guardsmen do not have to be in uniform or acquire a vehicle pass in order to enter the Naval Air Station in Fallon; military identification at the main gate will suffice.
For general information on the Defense Commissary Agency, visit: www.commissaries.com.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2015 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 176861 |
| Location: | FALLON, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 378 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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