MAY -- MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH: Commissaries highlight patrons’ service with extra savings

FORT LEE, Va. – Folks can tell military members and their families “thank you for your service,” but commissaries are showing it every day through significant savings, especially in May during Military Appreciation Month.

 “We honor our military customers throughout the year. However, in May we raise the ante on recognizing the strength, courage and sacrifices of military family members,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, the Defense Commissary Agency’s senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director. “Through Military Appreciation Month commissaries say a special ‘thank you’ through events and sales that reflect how much we appreciate their service and their patronage.”

Aside from Military Spouse Day, Mother’s Day and Armed Forces Day, a big highlight of the month, Memorial Day, is the unofficial start of summer. 

Customers are reminded to visit the Reward and Savings section to get the Sales Flyer that showcases prices of products on promotion along with other useful information about food and commissary services. They should also check their store for details. Overseas stores may have substitute events for certain promotional programs.

Here are a few sales specials to consider for commissary savings:

• Military Appreciation Month Sidewalk Sales. Stateside commissaries will hold a sidewalk sale, with a few exceptions, sometime between April 29 and May 31. The sales coincide with May’s Military Appreciation Month. Weather permitting, most commissaries will have one event – a two- or three-day outdoor weekend sidewalk sale – featuring extra savings on a variety of everyday items. As a bonus, over 60 Commissary Store Brand items will be offered with average savings of 20 percent over already low prices. Selection and sale dates will vary by store and event dates are subject to change. Patrons are encouraged to check their store’s web page for sale dates and hours or talk to their store manager for more details or updates. Overseas stores may have their own special sales based on what they have on hand.

• Mother’s Day floral delights. Mother’s Day floral selections will start appearing in stores around April 27. Fresh-cut flower bouquets consisting of colorful roses and vibrant bloomers, special single “preserved roses” that last two years without any maintenance (red, white, purple, yellow, dark pink) and potted plants with a wide range of options such as succulents, orchids, lilies, hanging baskets, azaleas, violets, hydrangeas and even strawberry plants.
• “Thank Guac It’s Cinco.” Fresh produce promotion will offer significant savings on Mission Tortilla shells or chips, May 3-9.

• “Celebrate the Savings.” Commissary customers can get $25 off their next shopping trip when they buy $75 in participating Procter and Gamble (P&G) products and scan their Commissary Rewards Card at checkout. Qualifying purchases must be made in a single transaction from May 24 to June 13. The $25-off digital coupon will be added to their rewards card and must be redeemed by June 30.

• Fisher House eGaming Promotion Sales Contest. P&G and ProCamps are collaborating with the Fisher House Foundation and Operation Homefront to energize installations through an eGaming Event “Battle of the Bases” as a part of P&G’s “Start Strong/Stay Strong” cause platform. Through May 30, commissary customers will see in-store promotional displays. Sales of participating P&G products will help determine the top four installation to compete against each other in an eGaming tournament for service members and their families. The last team standing will square off against a “pro” for the gaming title.

• Commissary Store Brand promotions: Throughout May, stateside stores only, Freedom’s Choice products will be on sale while supplies last: 48-ounce ice cream varieties;  4-pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast; 16-ounce bottled dressings; and 12-ounce Pasta Shells & Cheese and Mac & Cheese Deluxe Dinners. Additionally, select Freedom’s Choice enhanced purified water products will be promoted through May 15, and select K Cup and other coffee products and select mayonnaise and assorted marinades through May 9.

• Featured ‘dietitian-approved’ recipes. To help customers build healthier habits by planning and cooking more meals at home, DeCA offers a full library of dietitian-approved recipes. Customers can save up to 20 percent on select ingredients for the recipes highlighted in the Sales Flyer on commissaries.com: Each two-week promotional period has three featured dietitian-approved recipes – Produce Corner, which also offers tips for storage and selection and fun facts; Meat Case; and Thinking Outside the Box, which also offers nutrition information. Applicable for CONUS stores only.

• Organic meat savings. Deal of the Week (April 30 - May 4) promotions will be available in stateside stores, including Alaska and Hawaii. Stores will be promoting organic tenderloins, ribeye, and striploins while quantities last.

• Fresh meat savings through Power Box purchases. Commissary customers can save up to an additional 25 percent on the following beef and pork packages. Check with your meat department to learn more about these sizzling offers:

• Tailgate Special Power Box offers about 19 pounds of different cuts of beef and pork
  • Economy Power Box offers about 15 pounds of different cuts of beef and pork
  • Healthy Alternative Power Box offers about 16 pounds of different cuts of beef and pork
  • Fix it and Forget It Power Box offers about 15 pounds of different cuts of beef 

“As we deliver these unique savings in May, we want our customers to know their commissaries are adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols,” Saucedo said. “We also want them to be aware that their installation is still the best place to shop.”

-DeCA-

About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.