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A commissary is a store for provisions which can include prepared foods for eating either on-premises or off-premises. It is usually run within an organization such as a mining operation, a steel mill, a corporate center, or a government or military unit, and is usually intended, primarily, for the use of employees.
For instance, the United States
A commissary is a store for provisions which can include prepared foods for eating either on-premises or off-premises. It is usually run within an organization such as a mining operation, a steel mill, a corporate center, or a government or military unit, and is usually intended, primarily, for the use of employees.
For instance, the United States Defense Commissary Agency
The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), headquartered at Fort Lee (Virginia), is an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) that operates nearly 240 commissary (store), commissaries worldwide. American military commissaries sell groc ...
operates commissaries that are similar to supermarkets
A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more limit ...
, providing service members with most of the same products available in the United States regardless of where they are stationed abroad. Commissaries sell primarily grocery
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, an ...
articles; other items can be purchased at a base exchange
An exchange is a type of retail store found on United States military installations worldwide. Originally akin to trading posts, they now resemble contemporary department stores or strip malls. Exact terminology varies by armed service; some examp ...
(BX) or post exchange
An exchange is a type of retail store found on United States military installations worldwide. Originally akin to trading posts, they now resemble contemporary department stores or strip malls. Exact terminology varies by armed service; some examp ...
(PX).
Purpose
Military commissaries serve to provide groceries and household goods, at a reasonable cost, to many members within theDepartment of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
regardless of the country in which the service members are posted. Eligible patrons include active-duty personnel in all services, retirees of all services, Guard and Reserve personnel, and immediate family members of service personnel. A secondary benefit of US military Commissaries is the opportunity for employment of family members. This is especially significant in overseas locations where acquiring a job could prove difficult for U.S. citizens.
Benefits
A U.S. military commissary offers food and household items sold at cost plus five percent surcharge, eliminatingsales tax
A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
. The average shopper can save more than 30 percent when compared to shopping in town. During the commissary customer appreciation case lot sale, an average saving of 50 percent or more is available. These benefits extend to online shopping as well. They also offer rewards cards that allow shoppers to add additional promotions, coupons, and discount savings. Shoppers can also enter many commissary contests, sweepstakes, and shopping sprees. Commissaries also offer gift cards and contribute to academic scholarships.
Examples
Aprison commissary
A prison commissary or canteen is a store within a correctional facility, from which inmates may purchase products such as hygiene items, snacks, writing instruments, etc. Typically inmates are not allowed to possess cash; instead, they make purch ...
is often present in prisons. There are also commissaries at some duty stations of the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, and on filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew wil ...
s.
See also
*Company store
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
*Sutler
A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts. Sutler wago ...
References
{{reflist Military life Retail formats