I went yesterday to buy a few things but didn't get any meat because on their website it says:
"Specials

Meat Department's "BBQ Labor'N" sale event 1-7 Sep.

Grocery Department's "Fall Savings" sale event 1-7 Sep.

Produce Department's "Labor Day Savings" sale event 1-7 Sep."
I get up bright and early to go to the commissary and when I get there the hamburger was 1.74 a pound yesterday and today it is 1.94 a pound (i know they raise it on payday) So I asked a lady where the sale was she didnt know so she went and got another lady, I asked her she didn't know so she went and got a guy, he didn't know so he called the manager. She said their met dept sale was spare ribs bulk instead of being 1.94 a pound they are 1.84. So I proceed to tell exactly what the website says and she starts arguing with me how they don't know what they will be getting in and that they only put 1 item on sale and dont know what the item is when they print the webpage. I asked why even publish it then because the way i read it was there was a meat sale for labor day, not a spare rib sale. Then she starts telling me how privileged and lucky I am to be able to shop the commissary and I should try shopping off post because I save at least 30% by shopping the commissary. I said a lot of my stuff is bought off post because the stuff in the commissary doesn't stay fresh or expires soon like the bread. She says no it has at least a 7 day shelf life. Well the bread i looked at yesterday that was on the shelf expired on the 2nd and the buns on the 3rd. That isn't even close to 7 days, then she starts telling me again how lucky and privileged I am and she doesn't have the privilege to shop at the commissary and if she did she would do all her shopping there blah blah blah. Long story short I really hate everything about this post from housing to the commissary 

I do not shop at the commissary. Most of the employees there are not very friendly. yesterday i went with a friend and we missed the water aisle and she asked a lady where it was the lady looked at us like we were stupid. I have had much better experiences shopping off post and the sales are usally better. 

Also does anyone know why we cant file and ICE complaint on the commissary? I went to ICE and it isnt listed 

That sucks that they said their would be a sale and there isnt. I didnt know about it i dont keep up to date with the website. One time i had a bagger try to tell me walmart is cheaper than the commissary i was like if you say so. It was just a high school kid. untill you are married and have kids dont tell me what is cheaper commissary or civilian grocery store. Some things can be cheaper at walmart or other stores but a majority of the stuff i buy is cheaper at the commissary. When we 1st were stationed here i was shopping walmart and i was spending way more there than i do at the commissary. But there are some things at the commissary i was freaking out about yesterday on the price. One was Velveta cheese. I remember when i could buy it for 5 dollars. Latley it has been around 6 dollars. But yesterday i paid 6.88 for it i was like hollly cow.

I just out my grocery list for the 2 weeks of pay day and i buy that and normaly only that. I kept telling my friend that she needs to do her shopping there too Well she cant becuase she is only a girlfriend so she would have to wait for her bf to get off work. She did last night becuase someone we know just got out of the army and gave them all their cubbored stuff so all she needed to buy was meat. She went to the commissary and discovered meats way cheaper there i was like i have been telling you that for MONTHS!!! She goes ya thats where we will be going from now on to buy meat becuase its so much cheaper. THere are a few things i will not buy at the commissary. (i dont do fresh fruits and vegies. Only thing i buy is patatoes for vegi's other wise i buy them in the cans) ANywyas the only things i dont buy at the commissary is cereal, eggs, and anything else i cant get at the commissary. or unless i know there is a sale somewhere else that i can get it cheaper. So even tho i belive its bs when they say they will have meat on sale but they dont i still will shop the commissary over a regular grocery store. 

I shop the commissary for the most part, but i do buy things off post.But I am very against any girlfriends, parents etc shopping at the commissary. I feel this is one of my husbands benefits and there is a reason you have to have an ID card to shop there. 

Then she starts telling me how privileged and lucky I am to be able to shop the commissary and I should try shopping off post because I save at least 30% by shopping the commissary.

Whoa. Wrong answer.

There are different issues here; talking about what your benefits are shouldn't have been one of them.

The first rule of Customer Service is to listen ot the customer. The second rule is to address the issue you've just been told by apologizing and offering a solution if your facility is at fault; if your facility isn't at fault, then explain to the patron--politely, mind you--why you are not at fault. So it was almost as if she was basically saying, "I know you're upset but you should be happy to have something to be upset about." That is terrible, terrible customer service.

The Commissary may not be on ICE, but you can file complaints via DeCA's website: http://www.commissaries.com/

Go to the bottom and click on "Contact Us"; you'll be taken to the page with the link for the On-line Customer Comment Form at the top. I've done it once at Fort Jackson and it was actually really effective. 

I do not shop at the commissary. Most of the employees there are not very friendly. yesterday i went with a friend and we missed the water aisle and she asked a lady where it was the lady looked at us like we were stupid. I have had much better experiences shopping off post and the sales are usally better. 


We do not shop there (Alot) Husband picks up things sometimes on the way home, but I really prefer to go to Hyvee or to Walmart or Dillons (To me ) It seems as if there is a better selection at all three of these stores, better sales and discounts, and better prices. IMO it is worth paying the gas to get there and the tax.

I have never had problems with rude people though. 

It really irritates me that they go up on prices around payday! Its not on everything but it is on most things.....like bacon, lunchmeat, cheese and health and beauty products. Im sure its more but these are the things I notice the most!

I buy all of my meat at Hyvee....sometimes it is a little more....but I dont mind....the meat at the commissary goes out of date too quickly especially the hamburger meat. I think it is weird that it goes out that day or the next. 

Last night I threw a fit because a almost new half gallon of milk was bad. I bought it like a week and a half ago.....I'm starting to think I'll do my shopping at walmart but get meat at the commi. 

Wow! Yeah I shop at the commissary every 2 weeks if not more, but I've been going else where (too) lately, because of THE RUDE EMPLOYEES! If you are that unhappy working there, you don't have to show it!! :( 

I'm sorry, I wouldnt throw girl friends into the same boat as parents. It would be a long post if I got into this, but I hope that you can figure out the differences. If you jump into a marriage before living with someone, before sharing things with someone, the chances of that marriage working are less. I put my husbands name on my bank account years before we got married, we were sharing a house and all that silly stuff. I had no intentions of ever getting married, but eventually it seemed it was the thing to do. 

My husband and I didn't live together before we got married or any of that (he was living in the barracks when we met, so a bit impossible to do so), so everyone's situation is different, BUT I agree with you on that note notsue- girlfriends and parents are not in the same boat. Girlfriend's whose boyfriend in the service deserve to shop at the commissary too (IMO), considering they're partner has that benefit too and the food will be for both of them if they're living together... 

You guys may think its wrong for her to be taking adantage and waiting for her boyfriend to get off work to buy groceries at the commissary, but i have to disagree. Because its his money that goes to buy the groceries. Its HIS kids that they buy groceries for. It would be different if she had kids or if it was just the 2 of them but its not. they do have 1 child together, but the other 3 are not the girlfriends its the soldiers. She lives with him and helps him raise the kids. So tell me why its so wrong for her to wait to do the grocery shopping at the commissary when they are buying food for HIS KIDS?? I understand if it were just the 2 of them but we are talking about 4 kids on a E3 pay. 

But I am very against any girlfriends, parents etc shopping at the commissary. I feel this is one of my husbands benefits and there is a reason you have to have an ID card to shop there. 
I was disagreeing with this ^^^^ I thing girlfriends totally deserve to shop at the commissary. Like I said they are buying food for A SOLDIER and that is PART OF HIS BENEFITS too. I thought it was quite rude to state that girlfriends don't deserve to shop there, just because they're not MARRIED, yet? All partners are supporters to their military spouse and deserve to be treated the same (I know military doesn't recognize girlfriend/boyfriends), but if the food is for the soldier and his kids I don't see a problem =) 

But I am very against any girlfriends, parents etc shopping at the commissary. I feel this is one of my husbands benefits and there is a reason you have to have an ID card to shop there.

I agree with this statement. If she is shopping for her boyfriend then she can wait for her boyfriend to get off work, and she can go with him. I bet all that food isn't just for him. They aren't married, so she doesn't get the privilege. You're right, it is part of HIS BENEFITS, so HE can get the groceries himself until he is married. Just how it works. 

I didnt mean for her to go by herself, only people with military ID's can shop there, and girlfriends dont get those. 

They aren't married, so she doesn't get the privilege. You're right, it is part of HIS BENEFITS, so HE can get the groceries himself until he is married. Just how it works.

I agree 

Whatever you say. I dont see what the big deal is becuase she is cooking for HIS family. HIS KIDS Thats why she does the grocery shopping most the time. ANd its not like she has been doing all hers shopping at the commissary since he got back in march for him and his kids. SHe has been doing it at walmart, aldies, and dollar genral. Its just she had a whole bunch of cubbord stuff becuase someone pcsed so all she needed to buy was meat. So one day she waited for her boyfriend to get off work so she could go to the commissary with him to get the meat for the meals. So since its closer for them and quick they went to the commissary. What makes the difference rather she goes with him or rather she sends him with a list. EIther way she would still be getting the groceries for him and his kids there. 

Whatever you say. I dont see what the big deal is becuase she is cooking for HIS family. HIS KIDS Thats why she does the grocery shopping most the time.
The big deal isn't so much whether she should or shouldn't be allowed to shop at the Commissary; it's that she isn't allowed to shop at the Commissary.
DeCA is very clear in their guidance on who can and who cannot shop there. If it is that serious to him and/or to her, then he should solicit the Post Commander for an agent letter to authorize her to shop there. But if he does do that, I am pretty sure the Post Commander would say the same thing I would say, "If she is important enough to ask for an Agent Letter, then she should be important enough to marry--then, she won't need an agent letter."

What makes the difference rather she goes with him or rather she sends him with a list. EIther way she would still be getting the groceries for him and his kids there.
Because once again, she isn't authorized. I understand what you are saying, but you have to look at the big picture. Our soldiers don't get paid as much as their civilian counterparts because their benefits are supposed to compensate for the lack of pay. DeCA, the PX, the CDC, etc, can't just go around giving out authorized benefits willy nilly to every girlfriend/boyfriend/brother/sister/mom/dad/friend. That is like saying, "Here, partake in the same benefits this soldier has earned because of his/her service to their country without actually earning them."
Also, if the system did work that way we'd end up with situations where soldiers would "sell" their benefits (such as, "Hey unauthorized civilian, if you give me 20 bucks a month for my trouble, I'll get you authorized to shop in the Commissary/PX/etc." It would also take away from those of us who have served and/or are married to a soldier. I walk into the Commissary to slim-pickings as it is, depending upon what day of the week it is. Do I really want someone unauthorized snatching everything up from me? No, I don't.

Like I said, if it's that serious to them then he should marry her. If it isn't that serious, then he is going to have to take her to the Commissary if she wants to shop and flash his ID. That's just the way it is. 

So what would you rather have her make a grocery list for him to go to the store to get the groceries? she doesnt do all the cooking he cooks some too. He has the rights to the commissary as he is a soldier and nothing you can say or do about it can change them from going there. Like i said its for him and the 4 kids that live with him And as far as marrige he would marry her but he is not legally divorced yet. YEs the unit knows yes about him being married yes the unit knows about the girlfrined yes he has already gotten introuble for getting his girlfriend pregnant when he was still legally married. He has been seperated from his wife for atleast 3 years if not longer And i know that just opened a whole nother argument but you dont know the situation and why he is still marrried so i dont want to hear it. He hopes to be divorced my christmas 

I have stopped shopping at the Comm. because of the lack of products, raising of prices and not so nice service. It's easier for me to go to Walmart and do a 'one stop shop" verses going to and from trying to figure out what I still need that one store didn't have so I can see if another has it...saving gas.

As far as the girlfriend thing... honestly, I get the point of her shopping for the kids BUT if they allow one girlfriend they have to allow them all which means the military might as well make the post open and allow everyone to shop there because there would be no regulation on who get's the benefits and who doesn't. If she is that worried about HAVING to shop at the Comm. can't she have him go get their child an ID that allows her to shop there for him/her..that way she can still shop there till they do get married? 

She isnt shopping she is going with her boyfriend who pays for the food for his kids. i guess if you want to put it that way. Like i said they have only gotten groceries thre a couple of times they normally go to dollar genral, dollar tree, aldies and walmart. I have hard some places on post dont accept the childs id to shop at there If you work for aafees as a civilian and you are not married to someone in the military you still get a id for post and you are allowed to shop at aafes. I know this becuase someone i babysat for use to work at the shoppett and was allowed to use her ID they gave her at any shoppett or the PX. So answer this question for me why is it fair to let an employee of aafes that is a civilian shop at the px but its no ok for a girlfriend to go grocery shopping with her boyfriend to go get food for HIS kids at the commissary that HE PAYS FOR?l Yes i understand they are an employee but they are still civilian they shouldnt be allowed to use that id at the px. I do understand where you guys are coming from but like i said he is buying with his id for him and his kids. 

So what would you rather have her make a grocery list for him to go to the store to get the groceries?
I wouldn't "rather" have her do anything, because I neither make the make the rules nor enforce them. I'm not making this a personal issue; I'm talking about rules. Rules. So I am really not sure what part of "she isn't authorized" that is so incomprehensible... It's nothing personal; it's policy. And I'm sure her boyfriend knows that, too.

she doesnt do all the cooking he cooks some too. He has the rights to the commissary as he is a soldier and nothing you can say or do about it can change them from going there.
You're right. He is a soldier and has rights to the Commissary. She doesn't. That is why she can't walk into the Commissary, flash her driver's license, and buy groceries. He has to go with her, show his ID, and then stay with her to pay. If she has been able to shop there solo, that's because she didn't get caught, not because she should have been allowed.
And no, I can't stop her from shopping at the Commissary, but the right person can. I hope they are not as brazen about her shopping at the Commissary as you are about speaking on it; I can think of at least a dozen people who would turn him and her in just for GP.

Like i said its for him and the 4 kids that live with him And as far as marrige he would marry her but he is not legally divorced yet. YEs the unit knows yes about him being married yes the unit knows about the girlfrined yes he has already gotten introuble for getting his girlfriend pregnant when he was still legally married. He has been seperated from his wife for atleast 3 years if not longer And i know that just opened a whole nother argument but you dont know the situation and why he is still marrried so i dont want to hear it. He hopes to be divorced my christmas
Wow. Commissary privileges should be the least of his worries, and he should be glad his command has rectified his "situation" so that he doesn't have Commissary privileges--or any other privileges for that matter. 

I nevre said she shops their solo. i said she goes wit him and she has only ever gone with him once normally he goes by himself.

Im not bragging that they shop there like i said they have only been there a few of times and its not to do full blown shopping. she has sent him a couple of times to pick up wic for his children because she didnt want to run out to walmart and yes he went alone. and this last pay day when they went to go get meat because thats all they needed. Like stated they do most of the shopping else where i was just stating that HE have realized why are we spending these high prices when HE has the privlage to shop at the commissary. 

But I am very against any girlfriends, parents etc shopping at the commissary. I feel this is one of my husbands benefits and there is a reason you have to have an ID card to shop there.
I was disagreeing with this ^^^^ I thing girlfriends totally deserve to shop at the commissary. Like I said they are buying food for A SOLDIER and that is PART OF HIS BENEFITS too. I thought it was quite rude to state that girlfriends don't deserve to shop there, just because they're not MARRIED, yet? All partners are supporters to their military spouse and deserve to be treated the same (I know military doesn't recognize girlfriend/boyfriends), but if the food is for the soldier and his kids I don't see a problem =)

Where would you draw the line?? Every girl friend? Only every live-in girlfriend? What if he has multiple live-in girlfriends? Should they all get ID cards? Should they have the benefit from the day they move in or should there be a wait period? There IS a difference between wife and girlfriend. He has a LEGAL obligation to a wife. A different girlfriend could move in every day. There are very good reasons why these BENEFITS and PRIVILAGES are limited to ID card holders.

If you work for aafees as a civilian and you are not married to someone in the military you still get a id for post and you are allowed to shop at aafes. I know this becuase someone i babysat for use to work at the shoppett and was allowed to use her ID they gave her at any shoppett or the PX.

You don't get a dependant military ID card. Deca (the commisary) is owned by the government, AAFES is not. Comparing the 2 is like saying "my friend works at McDonalds and gets a discount but she doesn't get one at Burger King." Different companies.

He is lucky to still have a job after commiting adultury while in the military. It is a punishable offense (doesn't matter how long they haven't lived together, COC discression)

She can't have Tricare, she can't go to IACH, she can't PCS on his orders, she can't live on post and she can't shop on post. Period. 

People, people... seriously? Are you really arguing over who gets to shop at the commissary? There's much bigger issues in life! Let the workers and ID checkers deal with this... Don't stress yourself over something so silly. Just be happy that you get to shop at the commissary if that's where you like to go. Think on things like.. protecting our country and getting right with God, not things like so and so's girlfriend is shopping at the commissary. I'm not siding with anyone here... I'm just saying.. can't we all just get along? 

She can't have Tricare, she can't go to IACH, she can't PCS on his orders, she can't live on post and she can't shop on post. Period.

I agree with every word you said, but I believe the part about housing falls through the cracks because of lack of enforcement. I have had plenty of people tell me that their neighbors on-post are "shacking up" with a live-in girlfriend or boyfriend. The same goes for the numerous girlfriends and boyfriends who slip through the cracks and shop at AAFES and the Commissary. So does one blame the people abusing the rules, or does one blame the system that allows these actions to take place?