I Braved the Commissary

How funny is that?! We have been a part of the Army family since 2003 and I'm just now making my way into the commissary! It's not exactly the first time though. I went with a friend not too long after we first moved here. It was on payday. Now those of you who have been to the commissary on pay day will understand this well.

The place was packed. And I don't mean just a little crowded. It was like a 5am sale on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). I could not believe the amount of people. The aisles are narrow so we were constantly bumping into people or in someone's way. And then the line to check out? Um, wow. Unbelievable! So after leaving there with her that day, I vowed never to go back and promised my loyalty to the Kroger within walking distance of my house!

But on Tuesday, I decided to give it another shot. It was April 3. So quite a few days after pay day and I went around 1 in the afternoon. What a difference. It was still fairly busy but nowhere near what it was like on my first (and last) trip. I didn't have to wait at all to checkout and some of the deals were great!

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not one to pay that much attention to prices. There's a few items that I intentionally paid attention to price on the last time I was in Kroger so I could compare.

I got both Special K and Frosted Mini Wheats cereals (my breakfast of choice!) for $1.50 a box. They are both usually close to $4/box at Kroger. And SeaPak shrimp scampi is $7.99 at Kroger. I love it so I grudgingly buy it and pay the price. Well, at the commissary, imagine my delight to find it was $4.49 and that was regular price! DiGiorno frozen pizzas were also quite a bit cheaper.

Overall, I was a happy camper! While its not worth it (to me) to drive all the way to post just to get a few items, for the bigger trips, it is well worth the drive. Just check the calendar before you go so you don't get lost in the mass of people with freshly deposited paychecks.

Comments

[Kasey]

I love the commissary! People try to argue with me that is isn't cheaper, but it totally is. But yeah, I NEVER go on payday unless I have the desire to be trampled to death, lol.

[Lovin'Paradice]

OH MY GOODNESS Stacey I can't believe you've only been to the commy TWICE in your time as an Army wife! LOL..... That's just too funny. I actually RARELY went to the Commy when we lived at Ft. Bragg. (back in the day) It was just as cheap if not cheaper to go to Food Lion (then). Except for Cig - they were $5.00/carton so ALWAYS went to the Commy for those. But at Ft. Drum and most deffinately here in HI I always do the bulk of my shopping at the commisary. In NY there were certain things I'd buy at the super wal-mart I was inevidably there anyways and they were cheaper there than at the commy.... but no super wal-mart here in HI! LOL I can't wait to hear about your next trip. And payday is always a BAD time to go. LOL

[Chaotic Mom]

We've been living "on the economy" for a few years now, so I am VERY excited to be PCSing and living ON POST for conveniences such as the commissary. I miss it. ;)

[Kimberly B]

I'm totally with you on the commissary issue! I was very new to being an Army wife, and i was excited to see the post, px and commissary. Being a new Army Wife, I wanted to see the post and everything. We decided to go to the Commissary on Pay Day. I vowed never to go again! The aisle are so narrow, the lines way too long. A year later, and after hearing other wives raving about the commissary and prices, I decided to give it a try. This time, I went but very very early, about 9am and about 3 days after Pay Day. I was so surprised, there wasnt anybody there, and I could compare prices, and learned that the prices are actually cheaper than most supermarkets. I'm not sure if a lot of Post have the Big Tent Sales at the Commissary or not, but I highly suggest to anybody living on a budget to go to one. Keep your ears open, and your FRG should be able to tell you when the next one is. I always put money aside to go to them! They are very worth it!