Commissary shoppers now have club-pack options, too

  • Published
  • By Dean Siemon
  • Northwest Guardian
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Being a part of prototype projects is nothing new for Janice Coleman, store director for the McChord Field Commissary here.

In a program that began March 7, her store became the pilot location for the new Commissary Club format with a section dedicated to club packs and oversized packaged products commonly found in popular warehouse club stores.

The idea for the new format came from the Defense Commissary Agency and the McChord Commissary is the first experiment to appeal to customers who shop at the commissary and local club stores.

"It's nice being the footprint for the new stores," Coleman said. "This is an opportunity to have everything under one roof where they can shop their larger club items and also be able to shop the regular sales floor."

To prepare for the club's grand opening last week, the McChord Commissary converted 10,000 square feet of its warehouse space to increase retail space on the sales floor. The new area features freezers, refrigerators and racks for large-sized packages of meat, produce, dairy and other groceries, and supplies like paper, laundry and pet treats.

The new Commissary Club is an addition at the back of the McChord Field Commissary sales floor. Customers go from the club section through the main store aisles to check out.

"We are giving them the option to buy certain things in bulk and certain things that are for the family of two," Coleman said.

Club pack items are nothing new for the McChord Commissary. Since 2006, Coleman said the store has offered anywhere from 200 to 300 club pack items down center aisles of the store. The new club format increases that space to accommodate 800.

Unlike many warehouse club stores, the new Commissary Club does not charge membership fees. Military identification cards remain the only requirement to shop at the store and the new club section.

"Just being a service member -- whether you're active duty, retired or reserve -- you belong to an exclusive club," Coleman said. "This is a non-paid benefit."

Coleman added that she does not anticipate there being any membership fees in the future because the Commissary and the new club are funded by appropriated government money, including those received from the 5 percent surcharge each customer has paid at the register since the 1980s.

With no membership fee and the ability to use manufacturer coupons -- which Coleman said many club stores do not allow -- customers should save around 30 percent on their entire purchases, Coleman said.

DeCA will evaluate the new format's operations and customer acceptance within the McChord store. There are no plans to change the format of the Lewis Main Commissary on the other side of JBLM.