Military Base Shopping?

[Fireup2020]

Since we have so many folks who sound like they have military ID's - how many of you make a trek to the "local" base to utilize your base priviliges?

How is your local commissary?

Px/Bx/NEX?

Class VI?

Is gas cheaper on your local base as well?

Or do you prefer to shop online from the AAFES website?

Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst is about 1.5 hrs from me, but I have recruiting stuff to do there about once a month - will stock up on wine (no tax) fill up on gas, and cruise through the commissary for sales (as long as my visit does NOT coincide with a pay day!)

Is it savings you value as a retiree?

 

[braumeister]

Nearest base is about 70 miles from me (Wright-Patterson AFB, better known as "Right Pitiful".) A very large installation, with excellent facilities. Commissary is open 7 days a week, which is not the norm, and very helpful. Loads of retirees within driving distance, so they tend to take care of us pretty well.

I tend to visit roughly once a month, and definitely save enough on a few bags of groceries to more than pay the cost of the gas for driving there. The BX is good, but prices are generally no better than what I can get on the internet from places like Amazon.

The class VI (alcohol) store doesn't save anything because Ohio has state minimum prices and most place sell at that price. Same for gasoline. As I remember it, the rule for base gas stations is that they have to charge just slightly less than the average of the three closest civilian stations.

To be honest, I like to visit simply because driving onto any military installation feels like coming home in a way. Even now, over 20 years after taking off the uniform.

 

[Nords]

Ironically we're surrounded by some of the finest commissaries and exchanges in the nation. We just don't use them very much these days.

Schofield's commissary is only a few years old, their PX is only a couple years old, and the Pearl Harbor Exchange/Commissary was reputed to be one of the world's largest when it was built last decade. They're conveniently located less than 30 minutes from our home, along with military gas stations and all the rest of the benefits we worked so hard for. Oahu has a pretty high per-capita military population and lots of supporting base infrastructure, so you'd expect that we'd hardly ever shop anywhere else.

That's the way it was in the 1990s and the early part of the last decade, before the big-box stores really got started around here. We even used to be able to use the exchange's overseas catalogs. However Wal-Mart and Costco have steadily learned to undersell the military. Wal-Mart tends to have a broader selection, it's closer to our house, and its 24-hour schedule makes it easier to avoid the crowds.

Despite the commissary's "cost + 5%" pricing we tend to find better food deals at Costco-- especially in bulk. The majority of our commissary shopping is fresh fruit, veggies, & yogurt-- perishables that are challenging to buy in bulk. Frankly we can even beat that occasionally in Chinatown or at farmer's markets. To us it's more convenient/cheaper to combine several errands into one trip in the same general area than to drive all over to different stores.

Costco is reputed to be the island's largest gasoline retailer, and I'm sure they're practically giving it away to get the customers in the door. I buy at whichever pump is more convenient when the tank is nearly empty. Being ER'd with a Prius means that I only buy gas once every month or two anyway (unless the surf is really good).

I think the exchanges are still able to beat the retailers on appliances & furniture. The "problem" is that we do most of that shopping through Craigslist now, and no retailer can beat a desperate Craigslist seller. Once or twice the prices have been so good that I've wondered if I'm buying stolen goods.

I shop at the Class VI almost by reflex. I don't drink much anymore and I stopped comparing prices a while back, but I'm almost sure that it's cheaper than supermarkets.

I don't think we've ever bought anything from the AAFES or NEX websites. Next time I'm getting annoyed about the Paradise Shipping Tax I'll have to take a look at their Hawaii shipping charges.

 

[martyb]

I work in east TX 4 days a week, & have a small apt there. Then, every weekend, I spend 3 days with my wife in Louisiana. Her apt. is about 1 1/2 miles from Barksdale AFB, which is a fairly good-sized base. It's the base I worked at for 12 years as a civilian fed and a reservist. I retired from the reserves there in April 2010.

Barksdale has a large, well-stocked commissary, which we use every weekend for our groceries. Really good sales there. Wife & I agree that we really do spend a good bit less on the same items compared to off base.

The Base Exchange on Barksdale is pretty nice, and fairly new. We do shop there some. I buy my jeans there because they're cheaper than most off-base stores. I wear Levis. I've bought appliances, laptops, some furniture, and lots of other stuff there. Sometimes the price is better, sometimes not, but it's always easier to shop there than fighting the crowds off base. If I see what I want, & the price is better or at least close, I'll buy on base, because I believe in supporting my base when I can.

We buy about 1/2 of our gas on base. Usually, it can be found more or less for about the same price off base. Years back, it was always cheaper on base, but not so much anymore. Still, I try to support my base facilities.

Barksdale has an outstanding fitness center, that you will not find anyplace off base...at least nowhere that I've ever been. And...it's 100% free for my use & my family as well. I can even take a guest. That said...I'm fessing up right now and admitting that while I did use the fitness center regularly before I retired, I've been pretty scarce there lately. I SWEAR I'm gonna get back in there very very soon!

This particular base, being in Louisiana, has lots of undeveloped property, that is made available to outdoors adventure seeking individuals. There are several lakes & ponds full of fish, gator, nutria, snakes etc. Really good fishing can be had on base, and there are boats & other gear readily available for rent at low prices.

For those who hunt (not me in a long time) there is deer, duck & small game hunting that I'm told is really good. In addition, every year or two, the base has a limited alligator hunt that I think is handled in a lottery style, meaning only so many permits are given out and if you're lucky, you'll draw one. Some really big gators, 12 footers or more have been taken on base. I've personally seen several that size when out on the lakes fishing. I don't bother them, they don't bother me. We have an agreement. I hope.

My family & I do use the base regularly, for several different purposes. I'm really glad we've got such a great facility right here where we live. Once I completely retire, in 23 months, we'll most likely be staying right here within 1/2 hr of the base.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

We always lived off base when my husband was active duty in the Army so he did most of the commissary shopping on his way home from work. I would go once in a blue moon. When we lived in Hampton, VA most of the big shopping was done at Langley AFB, but occasionally he would shop at Ft. Monroe...they had great fresh picked local crab meat packed in small tubs. I maybe shopped there once in 3 years as I worked in Norfolk and did very little of the victual shopping in those pre-kid days. When we lived in Monterey, CA he bought groceries at Ft. Ord maybe once every week or 10 days. I mostly shopped at the Nob Hill Market in Monterey...they had super fresh steamed Dungeness crab sold cracked and wrapped in newspaper and ready for eating. It was my kind of dinner although we had to prepare something else for the rug rat who was not into that sort of thing then (he preferred pasta).
I liked shopping at the Naval Post Graduate School BX in Monterey. I thought they had a small attractive selection of items plus it was a treat to walk the grounds and look at the peacocks. Occasionally I took our son swimming at their big outdoor pool. The good old days...

 

[W2R]

My ex-husband was Navy, but being an ex-Navy wife gives me (hmm, let's see....) zero privileges. Which is as it should be.

Anyway, in most locations I really liked the Exchange (though we didn't have a whole lot of extra spending money in those days) and felt we saved a lot when we bought anything there. As for the Commissary, I guess the prices were lower but, well, as an example in San Diego it was so crowded and unpleasant, and although they had what I needed, they never seemed to have what I wanted. My ex smoked and drank, and he got beer and cigarettes for quite a bit less.

Overall, even if I had access to a good Exchange/Commissary, I doubt I would use them much. Right now I eat out a lot, and many other items are pretty cheap on the internet. But even though they may not be something I would use in retirement, I think these stores can be a wonderful help for young Navy families with a lot of mouths to feed and schoolkids to clothe.

 

[Gumby]

When I was on active duty, we lived perhaps 15 minutes' drive from the sub base. The young wife refused to shop there -- not at the commissary, not at the Navy Exchange. She hated the USN with a passion and wanted to pretend that I just worked a some normal civilian job (well, except for the extended business travel with no calls home thing). She also refused to be associated with the "wives group" for my submarine. I'd say it was a long 2-1/2 years for her before I left the Navy.

However, when I was a boy and living on Navy bases around the country, my family shopped nowhere else. Odd how things worked out.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

They just opened a brand new commissary here at NAS New Orleans, and while it is not huge, it has ample selection for most items. Along with it came a new NEX. Both are huge improvements to the base. The NEX is really no better than shopping out on the local economy, and some food items are cheaper off the base as well. However, overall the commissary saves us money, and they are both very convenient for us.

Nobody has mentioned staying in the BOQ when traveling, but some of them are very nice, and save a LOT of money compared to a hotel. They're not always user-friendly for families, though.

 

[Nords]

I liked shopping at the Naval Post Graduate School BX in Monterey. I thought they had a small attractive selection of items plus it was a treat to walk the grounds and look at the peacocks. Occasionally I took our son swimming at their big outdoor pool. The good old days...

Man, that was my favorite #1 bar-none unrepeatable favorite duty station.

Of course it would have been less fun if I'd actually attended all my classes.

She also refused to be associated with the "wives group" for my submarine. I'd say it was a long 2-1/2 years for her before I left the Navy.

Yikes. Remember the good ol' days when our FITREPs used to specifically comment on whether we (and our spouses) supported the wardroom and its social activities?

 

[braumeister]

I liked shopping at the Naval Post Graduate School BX in Monterey. I thought they had a small attractive selection of items plus it was a treat to walk the grounds and look at the peacocks. Occasionally I took our son swimming at their big outdoor pool. The good old days...

What a great place that was!
I spent seven wonderful months in Monterey at DLI, learning a foreign language. Amazing place. One of the cool factoids I remember was that the city of Monterey had a population of about 25,000 at the time, and there were five Mercedes dealers in town.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

What a great place that was!
I spent seven wonderful months in Monterey at DLI, learning a foreign language. Amazing place. One of the cool factoids I remember was that the city of Monterey had a population of about 25,000 at the time, and there were five Mercedes dealers in town.

Ah, yes, the Presidio of Monterey! We had friends who lived on base in one of the wooden houses that looked out onto the bay. You could hear the sea otters barking all the way up the hill. They had some tennis courts in a big grassy area down below the houses and we used to go there to hit some balls with the friends on occasion, have a cook-out at their house after. I remember seeing a movie once in awhile at the base theater. And they had a very small PX as I went there on occasion to pick up a few things since our house wasn't too far away.
When my husband got back from 7 months in Saudi Arabia after Desert Storm, he took the opportunity to patronize one of the car establishments you mention. He was relieved that I hadn't squandered all our money while he was gone, that I had left him some to squander.... We lived in the area from 1988-93 so I got to know (and love) it well. We did a lot of hiking as a family when we lived there, got up to S.F. for a day regularly and also flew to HI every year to explore a different island each time. My husband and son liked to go roller blading along the walking/biking path that ran through town.

 

[Rustic23]

None are close here. When we travel, we will usually stop by a base if it is on our travel route. Like Braumeister said, it feels like home. We go to the BX/MX/PX, but savings are not there. In fact, I often wonder who is buying the Coach hand bags. I have compared Commissary and Walmart prices and they are about the same.

 

[Joshua]

Nords,

My wife is very glad we are NOT in those good old days now. Heh. I am planning to switch over to the officer side of things here in a year or so, and she is decidedly not the type who gets her amusement from planning tea socials.

Joshua

 

[Fireup2020]

Yikes. Remember the good ol' days when our FITREPs used to specifically comment on whether we (and our spouses) supported the wardroom and its social activities?

OMG - could (those of you who have met him) you see my guy actively involved in wardroom social activities - especially tea socials!!

 

[deserat]

My answer is based on several locations state-side and overseas:

Overseas, we use the commissary for most of our food buying, especially meats, American items and frozen items. We use the economy (Aldi or Pennymarkt) for some yogurts, vegetables, cheeses (great variety compared to US) and German stuff (musli, etc0. No meats (very expensive here). I do travel to France sometimes to buy at Cora (a French-like Costco) - I buy French stuff there that is not available in Germany: green lentils, wines, all manner of tasty pastries/French deli type items, chocoloate mousse, Madeleines by the bag (they are like Oreos to the French) -etc. when I'm in Italy I buy pasta and cannelini beans and nice pasta sauce and tomato suace. The BX is OK - I find shopping online to be cheaper and when I go to the states, I find clothes to be much cheaper. Computers are definitely cheaper online.

Use of the gas pumps on the base in Germany is a 50% savings over the economy prices.

In Ca - Travis AFB; commissary prices were 20-30% lower for meats and other items - gas was a few cents cheaper than on the economy. The BX was not a good deal - you could find things at the outlets, used or online that were cheaper. I bought most of my vegetables in Berkeley at Monterey Market near where I worked.

When I was in Tucson - I used to go to Davis-Monthan for gas (was 5-10 cents cheaper per gallon) and every now and then to the commissary. I enjoyed shopping at Trader Joe's in Tucson.

San Antonio - used commissary almost exclusively - was there for a class and stayed in VOQ.

Used the free gym priveleges at most bases - even Alameda Coast Guard Station. Most are fairly well-equipped and the key word is free.

 

[samclem]

I do most of the grocery shopping at our nearby supermarket, but only because it is more convenient. When I'm on Wright Patterson AFB I'll usually go the commissary and buy some meat and other items thaey have at better prices/quality than the supermarket. BX/PX--prices are the same as regular retailers (worse on electronics), so I don't shop there much. Gas prices are about the same as outside the fence.

The wood hobby shop is GREAT. Much better tools than I could afford to buy. Everything is sharp, the saw fences are in alignment with the blades, the planers are level, etc. There are helpful folks to keep you safe and offer advice. They charge a couple of bucks per hour, but it is worth it.

Gym: I don't go as often as I should. One thing I like (particularly at Army bases) is that there's very little preening and posturing in most military gyms. Folks are there because being fit is part of the job, and most aren't going there to be seen. More T-shirts, less spandex.

Funny, as Braumeister says, it does feel very comfortable to be back on a base. I was happy to say goodbye but it's nice to go back to visit.

 

[Fireup2020]

In Ca - Travis AFB; commissary prices were 20-30% lower for meats and other items - gas was a few cents cheaper than on the economy. The BX was not a good deal - you could find things at the outlets, used or online that were cheaper. I bought most of my vegetables in Berkeley at Monterey Market near where I worked.

The Vacaville outlets are all of 10 minutes away!! I went to the Travis BX & Commissary in Nov. for the first time (Grammy lives in Vacaville) around Thanksgiving. Very dissappointing. Expensive stuff with minimal selection (I was hunting for a new camera).

 

[Nords]

Nords,
My wife is very glad we are NOT in those good old days now. Heh. I am planning to switch over to the officer side of things here in a year or so, and she is decidedly not the type who gets her amusement from planning tea socials.
Joshua

I was really really really glad that spouse never had to experience the submariner's community of New London, CT with me. (She was too.) The base's small-town syndrome put the military spouses (and their active-duty spouse's personal reputations) under a microscope that made "Desperate Housewives" look like a library reading room. Even we single junior officers couldn't get away with much for fear of being espied by a boss' spouse.

Your spouse's best bet is to seek outside employment so that she doesn't appear to have the time to indulge in the spouse's social whirlwind...

OMG - could (those of you who have met him) you see my guy actively involved in wardroom social activities - especially tea socials!!

Funny story. When we were at Monterey (1986-89), it was noted that the "Officer's Wives Club" wasn't really accepting membership from the male spouses of the active-duty officer women students. All of their activities tended to be gender-oriented and a bit on the stuffy Pebble Beach side of the social Richter scale.

My spouse was attending her classes with the (male) spouse of the woman who was president of the OWC, so we got daily drama updates. His spouse was known as "Jaws" among the other spouses due to her outspoken leadership style. When the male spouses began agitating to rename it the "Officer's Spouse's Club", she refused on the grounds that they'd have to have the $10K silver service re-engraved to reflect the new initials.

The NPS admiral offered to relieve the OWC of the silver service so that they wouldn't have their "problem". Jaws got the message and the OSC started offering more gender-neutral activities.

Change happened just in time. A few years later the NPS admiral was Marty Evans, whose first name is short for "Marsha"...

 

[Gumby]

Yikes. Remember the good ol' days when our FITREPs used to specifically comment on whether we (and our spouses) supported the wardroom and its social activities?

Oh, we supported the wardroom social activities. Just not in the "approved" fashion. In fact, the bachelor officers were always at my house, because: a) the young wife would cook for them; and b) she was smokin' hot (still is).

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Here in San Diego, gas is about $0.10 cheaper on average of most of the gas stations I've driven by, but if you're spending $0.10-20/mile in gas just to get there and you don't live fairly close, it often doesn't wind up actually saving anything. At least for me.

I've found that movies, electronics, clothes, games, and food have been cheaper off base, thanks in large part to Amazon.com, Newegg.com, Best Buy (I had to get a new printer, and after checking prices at the Exchange, even with taxes I found the same model for cheaper at Best Buy) and rewards programs that give cash back at local grocery stores. The Exchanges here seem to want to sell higher cost clothes (well, higher than I'm willing to pay for clothes, anyway).

The only time base costs have been a huge benefit was when I was living on base, where the prices of anything were more than made up for in the fact that just about everything I needed was there, which saved me from having to buy a car for a while.

 

[jimnjana]

PX/BX are pretty much a waste of real estate. Commissary is a very good value for most items. Even with surcharge. Only area in the commissary that is weak is produce.
Every other food category offers savings that beat our local supermarkets easily.

Class VI store has better prices than most on liquor and sales prices are not easily beaten off base.

I'd vote in a minute to shut every exchange store in CONUS. I think WALMART or another discount chain would be happy to operate stores on remote locations that require an exchange type store presence. I think the whole MWR/non appropriated funds system that is supported in part by exchanges should be looked at and modified to maximize value to service members not employees.