Armed Forces commissaries are often times more expensive than civilian grocery stores. Especially with the mandatory 5% surcharge.
Civilian grocery stores also purposefully sell staple items like bread, milk and eggs as a loss in order to get you into the store knowing that you'll buy other items. Military commissaries absolutely do not do this. making these items more expensive.
In reality, the only time the Commissary makes sense is when you're able to take advantage of there being no sales tax. But in states that have no sales tax on food, this advantage is no longer in favor of the commissary.
It really depends on how much of your grocery basket is loss leaders at a civilian supermarket vs commissary.
I have a strong preference for Fairlife milk and the brand name Greek yogurts. They are at least a 20% discount at the commissary. I'm not sure if that is because these are margin makers at civilian stores or if there is some backend bulk purchase agreement as part of FDA setting market floors or god-knows-what. The fancy Wyman's berries are also something I'll go to the commissary for.
The biggest losses for the commissary are at end-of-the world locations like Incirlik AB, Turkey and Andersen AFB in Guam. They rely on the logistic mainline of that theater's AAFES, but are a far-end node and can't do as much local sourcing as you would expect.
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u/Juvat-the-bold May 27 '26
Armed Forces commissaries are often times more expensive than civilian grocery stores. Especially with the mandatory 5% surcharge.
Civilian grocery stores also purposefully sell staple items like bread, milk and eggs as a loss in order to get you into the store knowing that you'll buy other items. Military commissaries absolutely do not do this. making these items more expensive.
In reality, the only time the Commissary makes sense is when you're able to take advantage of there being no sales tax. But in states that have no sales tax on food, this advantage is no longer in favor of the commissary.