Other Pay: Commissaries - Military Benefits | Marine Corps pay, education, health, housing, moving, MWR - Marine Corps Times

Other Pay: Commissaries

Commissaries are military supermarkets that sell all items at cost plus a 5 percent surcharge. The Defense Commissary Agency oversees 254 stores worldwide on Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard installations.

Most of DeCA’s larger commissaries are relatively full-service grocery stores. The commissaries routinely stock 4,000 to 18,000 items in grocery, meat, produce and deli, bakery, household, health and beauty care departments.

Contact: www.commissaries.com.

Customer satisfaction

Commissary products can be returned for an exchange or refund.

Eligibility

Those with a valid military ID card hold authorized commissary privileges. This includes single and married active-duty, National Guard and reserve, and retired members, regardless of rank or service, and their families. Also eligible are 100 percent disabled veterans, surviving spouses, and former spouses with dependent children. Special assistance is offered for those with disabilities or infirmities.

Individuals caring for children of service members who are deployed, on remote assignment or deceased may be authorized to use the commissary for 12 months, sometimes longer in cases of continued hardship.

Gift vouchers

Commissaries sell gift vouchers in $25 denominations under a new program that replaced the defunct CertifiChecks program. Anyone can buy a gift voucher, but only authorized patrons can redeem them. They are available at commissary customer service areas, cash offices and from cashiers at full-service checkout lanes. They can be redeemed only at commissaries and must be redeemed prior to the expiration date printed on the voucher.

The company that administered the previous CertifiChecks program went out of business in 2009. Defense Commissary Agency officials said the gift certificates, called CertifiChecks, still may be redeemed at stores through July 31, 2010, if the customer was deployed or away on temporary duty from March 6 to July 31, 2009.

Hours

Most stores have evening and weekend hours.

Locations

A store locator on the DeCA Web site has driving directions, phone numbers, floor plans and current information about savings at specific stores.

In addition, the commissary agency has taken the benefit on the road to National Guard and Reserve communities that have no commissaries. Anyone with commissary privileges is eligible to shop during these weekend events, and pre-ordering is often available. For a schedule and locations, click on the “Bringing the Benefit to You” icon on the left side of the home page of www.commissaries.com.

Online shopping

Click on “Virtual Commissary” at www.commissaries.com for a limited selection of items, such as gift baskets, coffees, cookies and other specialty fare. Defense Department civilians stationed overseas who have commissary privileges also may shop online.

Overseas

Commissaries overseas operate under unique restrictions. Limits are imposed on purchases of items that can be sold on illegal markets; in Korea, for example, shoppers are limited to a monthly spending cap based on family size.

Rules on who can use overseas commissaries are affected by Status of Forces Agreements between host nations and the U.S.

Service members on leave, retirees, and National Guard and Reserve members on official duty in Germany are not automatically granted full commissary privileges. Situations can vary from country to country, and individuals should check with the local U.S. military command or installation they plan to visit, before they travel.

Payment

Commissaries accept cash, personal checks, traveler’s checks, and debit and credit cards. Food stamp Electronic Benefit Transfer Cards and WIC vouchers are accepted in the U.S., including Puerto Rico and Guam. Commissaries overseas accept the overseas military-issued WIC vouchers for military families.

Sales restrictions

Federal law restricts what commissaries can sell. For example, they do not stock beer, wine and many general merchandise items carried by base exchanges.

Savings

Shoppers get average savings of 30 percent or more. There is no sales tax. The 5 percent surcharge pays for construction and renovation of stores and equipment purchases.

For information on monthly sales and promotions, visit www.commissaries.com, including bulk “case lot sales” generally held in May and September.