Does anyone here have commissary priviledges?

[Blonde Granny]

It's been many years since DH was actually in the military, but if his current VA claim is approved, we will then have commissary privileges.  Our nearest one is about 100 mi. away, but still curious about their prices vs. places like Walmart. 

[nativetxn]

We do have privileges, but the nearest one is over an hour's drive away, and not worth the drive, in my opinion. Prices are better, but the aggravation of getting through city traffic, plus gas spent, is not worth it. That said, it's been many years since I've used it so don't know what it's like now.

[Blonde Granny]

I did some reading online about it, someone compared prices to WMT for exactly the same items, comm. prices were less even with the surcharge, but not enough to make any big deal about it.

[zibazinski]

I went with DD to the one in Tampa. The only thing that I could see was saving sales tax. So not worth the hassle.

[marvholly]

They woud have to be SUPER cheap to just make up the cost of gas let alone wear & tear plus mantenance on your vehicle for a 200 mi round trip. IF it is highway driving, your car gets 30 mpg and your gas costs $$3.50/gal =>$23 in gas alone.

I am pretty sure if you buy & stock regularly used items on store specials and use coupons you can pay about the same or even less.

[Blonde Granny]

We don't mind the occasional roads trips. A couple times a year we will drive to Springfield, Mo. to have a nice lunch at the Hemmingways restaurant located in Bass Pro.  That about 200 mi r/t also.  My SUV gets about 20 mpg on the highway, with a good tail wind we can hit 22 mpg.  It also takes premium gas.  But I love it, and I'm not giving it up.

I was just curious about the commissary privileges.  It's been almost 50 years since we shopped in one.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

We have commissary privileges, but the closest commissary is an hour drive away ... so a 2-hour roundtrip. We've gone there a few times just to see what they have, but there's no way we would drive that far just to go to the Commissary.

That being said, when my wonderful DH has driven out there to see the dentist, he stops at the Commissary. When they have it in stock, they have smokin' hot prices on the kitty litter we use ... so he buys ALL they have on the shelf, LOL.  (They don't carry our cat food). He's also picked up some other items he knows we use a lot of (he once came home with a whole case of Original Fiber One) and a nice pile of fat free turkey bologna. 

When we had to drive out there to get my dependent ID card renewed, we shopped at the Commissary.

When he had to drive out there to get one of my RXs filled (there was a problem with mail order pharmacy), he shopped at the Commissary.

As a general premise, we also thought that their produce department was awful compared to pretty much every other grocery store in our town. (Better quality and better selection at local markets, definitely!)

I do think that if you're going that way anyway ... or doing a Commissary run as a recreational trip ... it can be worth your while.  (Take an ice chest if you're buying perishables)

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

My dad still has his.  When he visited me in TX, there were a few things he could pick up that were cheaper....mainly things like spices, as I remember.

Right now, he lives about an hour from the closest commissary and he does not find it worthwhile to make a trip unless he happens to be going that way for other reasons.

[Blonde Granny]

Thanks everyone, that about sums up what I was thinking. I remember well when we first were married shopping at the commissary and of course the PX (DH was Air Force).