Vets might get to shop at Exchange online
A couple of readers are excited that they might be able to shop at the Military Exchange system on line soon. From Military.com;
After two years of study and debate, the Department of Defense has made a policy change, effective next November, to allow 16 million honorably discharged veterans to shop online for discounted military exchange products.
Peter K. Levine, acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, signed a memorandum Wednesday announcing the benefit expansion, effective Veterans’ Day Nov. 11, and giving Congress the required 30 days’ notice before actions begin to implement the plan.
Months of preparation are needed to make e-shopping portals more robust and to allow the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) time to create software for verifying veterans’ status using Department of Veterans Affairs records.
It’s really not that big of a deal. Area Exchange managers raise their prices to match those outside the gates of military bases – the only real benefit is that instead of paying state taxes, you’re paying the same amount to support the Morale and Welfare funds, or UPS. It’s not the PX/BX that you remember. It’s really just another way that the Pentagon can rake in veterans’ money.
The only reason I ever shopped there was to screw O’Malley out of tax revenue in Maryland.
Category: Big Pentagon
Don’t see this having much impact on most of us. But, if it helps some, fine with me.
What interests me most is the statement about verifying status. Evidently they expect to be able to do that prior to Veterans Day this year. So why can’t the VA do the same, since they have been promising to do it for how many decades?
Never mind. This is about a potential benefit to some veterans, not about verifying eligibility for a benefit. Or maybe it should be.
I spent the last 10 years of my career avoiding the PX at all costs. Anything they offered for sale could be bought at half the price on the economy outside the gate.
And as far as them using the VA to verify a “veteran’s status.” That’ll go over like a lead balloon, especially when there are cases of the VA paying some LSOS 3K a month who never spent a day in uniform. The VA has a long way to go in righting their own ship before they take on another task like that.
All in all, looks and sounds good on paper. In reality, Pffft. Worthless as tits on a boar hog.
Exactly this perfectly!
I’m sure Amazon is shaking in their boots.
Yeah, I know. I was laughing while I typed it too.
Verify. I do not think it means what they think it means.
I see the creation of new software to “verify” a veteran’s status as just another avenue for hackers to get ahold of your PII. And as we all know, your PII is highly protected (Ha Ha) by the VA.
You know the first question they’ll ask for is your SSAN. From there, it’s all down hill.
So, Yeah, go ahead and order that German Beer Stein or Korean Hootchie-Kookie Doll. In the end, all it’ll cost you is your bank account and if by the time you finally receive the item, it’ll have been broken in shipment.
The only things I ever bought at the PXes cost more than they did outside the bases. There was no advantage to shopping at them for anything.
And I looked at the taxes I paid on my grocery bill with Aldi. The total was 8% on the jugs of cat litter at $4/jug, a 6-pack of paper towels, and 3 boxes of tissues, or $1.89, plus the 1.75% on food items, which totaled $1.33 on $76.00 worth of groceries.
So what would be the advantage to shopping some place where there’s nothing I want, anyway, and it costs more?
“The only reason I ever shopped there was to screw O’Malley out of tax revenue in Maryland.” That’s a gem. During his rain tax administration, a great many people kept their Maryland jobs and moved to a border state. That really pissed him off and, as I recall, there was talk of an effort to effect a commuter tax to grab some of the money leaving that socialist paradise. He could have been a Lefty Star and it looked as if he would be. Unfortunately for him, he hitched his wagon to H. Clinton by running her Maryland campaign in 2008 and he was fairly cooked when she failed to get the nomination. I just love happy endings.
“The only reason I ever shopped there was to screw O’Malley out of tax revenue in Maryland.”
I did it more to eat at Charley’s. Just kidding. Most of those food court restaurants/stores blew ass. But I have heard they are getting better by adding other vendors.
I used to also love it when they would give Privates the “Star Card”. 20% interest and shit. A lot of these kids never had a credit card or line of credit in their life and ….Boom! They are screwed! My favorite part of the day was in the morning when the CO would give me a fucking pile of debt collection letters for the Soldiers. And mostly because of Star! What a way to begin the day! Especially trying to explain why the boys were morons. Good shit. Not.
Hey Baby, here is a $200 bottle of perfume and a I think I will take that new $2000 Sound System. We can pay for it later…..! Yahoooooo!
I will say this, though, to walk through the PX/MCX at Henderson Hall was pretty cool. Big. Good way to kill some time if on Myers. At least, it used to be like that.
As I mentioned on this subject at the WOT, Henderson didn’t cater to Marines. Their clientele was foreign embassy folks with fat wallets. Had great high end stuff that most US Servicemen/women couldn’t afford.
Sometimes I would look at AAFES on-line and find they always get beat big time by Amazon/Wally/Best Buy/… I don’t even look anymore.
I agree.
I am getting old. It been about about 13-14 years since I been on Henderson.
Seems like yesterday.
Damn.
Guess I need to put back a few Old Fashions today to make myself feel better.
Also, have you ever seen the mall at the Pentagon? Talk about expensive!
Which is why as a newly minted Maryland employee, the wife and I are promptly moving across the PA line. Even though the property taxes are higher, I can buy significantly more house for the price and I figure I’ll still save about 2 large a year in overall taxes.
If one begins with the assumption that the DoD does nothing that truly benefits AD or Veterans, you just know there’s only one reason for this: bolster revenue.
If they ever let veterans shop at the Commissary, I might get excited. Otherwise, meh.
Especially for some of us who live in high cost of living areas. When I was stationed in Los Angeles, I was paying 400+ for a cart full of food around the corner vs the 120 I paid at the commissary on LA AFB for that same cart of food.
No kidding. I was living in a cracker box in Hermosa Beach back then, and having the commissary there cut my grocery bill nearly in half.
“The only reason I ever shopped there was to screw O’Malley out of tax revenue in Maryland.”
And that’s a damn fine reason!
The only thing I recall being noticeably cheaper were cartons of cigs. Which is ironic as the Army was just then beginning the push to get everyone to quit smoking.
When they removed the good pRon mags, I was gone.
And so were most of the boys.
Those days are done. The PX and Commissary can’t undercut local prices, they have to match the lowest. Same-same with gas.
“It’s not the PX/BX that you remember”
As I recall, the PX in K-town had some nice stuff just outside the fence.
LOL. Mortuary Mary by Vogelweh.
OMG, I almost spewed my drink! My H6 and I was talking about that same subject the other day. We had gotten on the subject of 20 Mark Strasse and how many guys in the shop went to visit. He knew of 2 that had to go visit the Dr. due to “unpleasant side effects”. LOL
Sounds like AAFES is losing their shorts to Amazon is trying to make up lost revenues.
AAFES is a military acronym for “screw the troops”. In Native American tongue it means, “high paying jobs for fat ass civilians”. As a retired solider, I could not buy a troop issue pair of PT shorts at the troop rate. It is good that someone served, but shopping in the exchange used to be an earned entitlement because it was a value. Now they simply suck with rare exception. All veterans earned is a “thank you for your service” with perhaps some bona-fide combat vets deserving more. It frosts my ass every time they are extended a bennie that those who are on AD, a member of the Reserve component, retired, medically retired or a family member thereof are entitled to. Give veterans anything you wanton Veterans Day, listen to their war stories at the VFW, but do not further dilute our already diluted earned entitlements.
CW2, US Army (Ret)
Well when you aren’t willing to really do anything tangible to help veterans, I guess agreeing to take their money is actually considered an accomplishment somehow to some people.
About a thirty mile trip one way thru heavy traffic to get to the Everett Support Base, or a fifty mile trip the other for Joint Base Lewis-McChord thru even heavier traffic. The only time the spousal unit and I go is if we happen to be in the area and have time. Prices on some items are OK, but most of the clothes and other things are high end stuff that I’m not interested in. Amazon is easier to use and has better prices. The Exchange just ain’t worth it anymore.
I opened then worked at the exchange at Fairchild when the new one opened in the late 80’s. Back then they were actually a decent place to shop, but in the years since they have gotten rid of a whole lot of the good merchandise and brought in some less than desirable stuff. Unless they have something I really want for a lot better price than I can find online, we rarely go in there now. Even when I was working every day at the base I never bothered to shop there because their prices have gotten too high. I will say that I do shop the gun counter there, however
Not retired yet, but we used the online shopping for AAFES at Christmas, there were some items that “household 6” wanted and they were only available online.
Well, the system sucks. It’s not user friendly at all. It may get better in the future but right now, not so much.
Retirees may be allowed to use it soon, but any money that they save will soon be spent on more blood pressure medicine
AAFES –
Army
Air Force
Extortion
Service
I remember being taken for a ride by them both times I got Mobed for the ME and they seldom acted like they truly gave a shit about anything other than taking our money.
Been a long while since I was in a Post Xchange and back then you could get really good deals but my daughter says the prices now are not any better than you can get off post if you shop at all.
Still, if the “tax” is going to Vets and the prices are the same I’d be more inclined to do the online XChange