If you are a social media junkie then you probably have seen the news passing through in the military blogosphere and on Facebook that the commissaries on military installations will be closing down an extra day because of all this political furlough mess.
I am not going to even venture into what it is and all that jazz because it just makes my mind hurt and frankly is too complicated.
Anyway this means if your commissary is normally closed on Mondays then it would be closed on Tuesdays as well.
At first alot wasn’t clear about these closings. There was alot of panic and uncertainty because all the general military public was hearing was that the commissary was going to be closing an extra day and most probably thought this was forever.
Of course being the little blogger that I am, I have been researching this and have found out some good news. These extra day closings will only last for up to 11 days. They will start July 8 and end sometime around September 30th.
For me personally I am lucky if go to a grocery store of any kind more then once every other week. Yes I do need the occasional gallon of milk or loaf of bread but do I really need to go to the commissary for that? That being said I know many people live onpost and some due to transportation issues only have the commissary to rely on , it is for these people that I see the extra day o closing being an issue.
The good thing is I haven’t seen any mention of shoppettes closing down during the week, so if you really need something that bad (although a bit more expensive) then you can always go there.
The second issue I see with the extra furlough day is crowds. The weekend will have passed and people will need to replenish their basic essentials and they will have to wait two days after the weekend to do so. I foresee massive extra crowded-ness (I don’t even know if that’s a real word) at what already is a crowded place on the norm.
Lastly plain and simple the folks overseas are the ones who are going to suffer the most. There isn’t a Walmart on every corner in Germany or at all for that matter. Some already have to go to other bases because their commissaries are small. This is a huge issue!
3 Tips To Get You Through The Commissary Madness
Avoid The Weekend
Everyone and their mama is going to go on the weekend , especially with the Summer months approaching. If you absolutely go on a weekend shoot for early morning Saturdays when everyone is heading out to the beaches or on day trips. Sunday is my day of choice because alot of people go to church in the mornings.
Odd Day In
Go shopping on a really odd day like a Thursday evening. I have found going about an hour before the commissary closes (depending on where you live) is a really great way to avoid the crowds.
Stop Freaking Out
You aren’t going to die because you can’t go to the commissary. It won’t kill you go to Walmart for just a few things. If you are high strung then calm your nerves. When hubby gets home from work get in the car and head to Walmart or your local grocery store. To save money only buy what you need…the basic essentials. If you do your shopping right during the week you shouldn’t need to shop outside of the commissary as if you are feeding the entire Army!
Do you think the commissary closings will affect you alot…share your thoughts below?
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Army Wife 101
Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.
Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market.
She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries. 4 Comments on Will The Commissary Furlough Closings Really Affect You That Much? 3 Tips To Get You Through The Closings!
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Frankly, I only use the commissary around payday and really on paper products or items we go thru a lot of. I don’t live on base so it’s convenient to go to the commissary all the time. Besides, it’s not a forever thing anyways
Also a lot of time by using coupons and matching them up with sales at other stores those are cheaper than shopping at the commissary.
I only shop at the commissary twice a month on odd days like Wednesday early morning or about an hour before closing. I avoid going to the commissary on pay day because its a zoo. Unfortunately being in Hawaii the Walmart here is not a real super Walmart but we have lots of other grocery stores that are really not that expensive. If the commissary close one day here then I will just plan accordingly no biggie at all.
Living overseas in Japan, I already lived with the commissary closing on Mondays. If there was a holiday weekend, we could have a closed commissary for up to 4 days straight. We didn’t panic, we planned ahead and if we forgot something, we purchased on the economy. It may be an inconvenience, but nothing compared to the families of the commissary employees who will be loosing a hunk of their paycheck.