Trump Administration looking to privatized military commissaries

[LogDog75]

The Defense Commissary Agency asked Friday for the commercial grocery industry to weigh in on the possible privatization of 178 stores that provide discounted groceries to military families in the U.S.

“The purpose of this [request for information] is to determine whether commercial grocery operators and investment firms are both interested in and capable of assuming commissary operations, with no government subsidy or with a materially reduced subsidy, while preserving the critical military benefit of a 23.7% average savings for authorized patrons,” the agency said in a statement Friday.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=post&forum=1002

I'm hoping, as a military retiree, this doesn't happen. The savings the commissary provides active duty and retirees is a substantial perk that helps supplement our income. Military members typically make less than their civilian counterparts meaning we pay less into Social Security and receive less in Social Security when we retire. So any savings the commissary can provide us saves us money. If the commissary were to be privatized, we'd probably save less money and there's the chance the company would favor stocking their stores first when there are food shortages.

Sometimes, privatization doesn't work out in the long run and IMO, this won't work out well for anyone other than the company that runs the commissary.

[TheBlackAdder]

1. Enter Sbarro . 🤮

[tanyev]

2. Great, are they going to start selling Trump steaks and Trump water?

😒

[IbogaProject]

3. Also the commissaries support the social activities on base

There is a small fee akin to a sales tax that supports the social activities on base. This is especially important for the families as those kids have to move every few years and they are often away from their parent's families so the base families become like a substitue family. I am a pacifist but I support the troops themselves and their families. I hate our huge military industrial complex but this isn't the way to save money for anyone. He is just looking to trim the government employee headcount. I grew up going to the Ft Dix and Maguire AFB exchanges they were a nice change of pace from the modern stores.