A time to say ‘thank you’: November events honor veterans, recognize military families and offer promotions to help prep for holidays

FORT LEE, Va. – November brings events acknowledging veterans and military families, and sales promotions helping commissary customers save plenty of money as they purchase the products for their Thanksgiving meals.

“There’s a lot going on in November with Veterans Day, Military Family Month and the Marine Corps birthday,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director. “For Thanksgiving, I want to remind our customers they can use their benefit to save their hard-earned money on all the fixings that go with any Thanksgiving meal.”

Throughout the month, commissary customers can expect to see special savings on frozen turkeys and other typical Thanksgiving items including rolls, pie fillings, pies, cooking oil, snack and cooking nuts, mixers,  appetizers, vegetables (frozen and shelf stable) and stuffing. 

Patrons are reminded to check the ends of aisles in their store for themed items with extra low pricing. Overseas stores may have substitute events for certain promotional programs. Customers should check with their store for details or visit their store page on commissaries.com to verify what’s available. They can also check the website for ways to maximize their benefit in the Rewards & Saving and Shopping sections.

Here are a few areas to consider for commissary savings:

• Exclusive savings on select frozen turkeys. Commissaries worldwide will offer limited weekly quantities of frozen turkeys at 39¢ per pound. Available quantities of frozen turkeys are expected to increase closer to Thanksgiving. Check your commissary for brand availability. Promotion runs through Dec. 31 – while supplies last.

• Thanksgiving Soda Sale. Four 12-packs of canned soda are on sale for $10. Promotion runs Nov. 19-26.

• Stock Up and Get Rewarded. Commissary customers can earn a $10 Virtual Visa from Fandango Now with the purchase of any 10 participating items Nov. 14 to Dec. 15. To participate, customers must take a photo of their entire receipt showing the qualifying items, go to www.activaterewards.com/Military, enter their information and submit photo of the receipt. Participating products include the following: Jimmy Dean Frozen Breakfast Bowls & Sandwiches and Sausage, Hillshire Snacking, Ball Park Franks, State College Corn Dogs, Maxwell House Coffee, Maxwell House Pods (4 oz.), Planters Peanuts (16 oz.), Deli Fresh (7 oz. or larger), Kraft Shreds and Chunk Cheese (7-8 oz.), Miracle Whip Dressing (22 oz. or larger), Philadelphia Cream Cheese (8 oz. or larger), Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (10 oz. or larger), Oscar Meyer Bacon (12 oz. or larger), Ore Ida, Grey Poupon (8 oz. or larger), Cracker Barrel Mac & Cheese (14 oz.), Jif (16 oz. or larger), Crisco (48 oz. or larger), Rachel Ray Nutrish (14 lb. bags), Frito Lay Variety Snacks (18 count), Frito Lay Tostitos (all sizes), Ritz (family size crackers), Oreo (family size), Bumble Bee canned clams, shrimp and crab, General Mills Cereals, Betty Crocker Baking & Muffin Mixes, Frosting and Potatoes, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Cinnamon Rolls and Cookies, Pillsbury Pizza & Pie Crust, Progresso Bread Crumbs and Broth.

• General Mills “Celebrate The Holidays” Event. Throughout the holidays, commissary customers will see holiday displays, high-value coupons and premium in-store giveaways of General Mills brands. Promotions run through Dec. 31.

• Kellogg’s Holiday Savings. Kellogg’s is partnering with the Military Star Program to award $500 each to 50 families’ accounts to help them pay down their Military Star Card balance. This program will feature promotional savings on top-selling brands including the following: Frosted Flakes, Frosted Mini Wheats, Raisin Bran, Raisin Bran Crunch, Cheez-It Crackers, Nutri-Grain Bars, Rice Krispies Treats Poppers, Pringles, Eggo Pancakes and Eggo French Toast. Customers will see in-store demos, coupon flyers valued at about $3 off the purchase of three participating Kellogg items. Promotion runs Nov. 23 – Dec. 6.

• 3rd Annual Operation Gratitude by Colgate. Operation Gratitude is a non-profit organization that assembles and ships care packages to service members deployed overseas and veterans. Colgate will provide shelf coupons exclusive to the military community that read, “Buy 2, Save $0.50, Colgate Gives 1.” For every coupon that scans through the register between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15, Colgate will donate one matching product to Operation Gratitude. Colgate employees and their families will also include hand-written letters that are sent to service men and women along with the donated product. Products include Colgate Toothpaste, Colgate Mouthwash, Irish Spring Body Wash and Softsoap Body Wash. Promotion ends Nov. 22.

• Featured ‘dietitian-approved’ recipes. Save up to 20% on select ingredients for the following meals:

• 10 Minute Pantry Staple Chicken Salad
• Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Wild Rice Casserole

• Commissary beef and pork savings. The commissary has added to the beef and pork savings package. Check with your meat department to learn more about these sizzling offers:

• Tailgate Special Power Box offers 17% savings on 19 pounds of select cuts of beef and pork.

• Fix it and Forget It Power Box offers 21% savings 15 pounds of select cuts of beef. 
  • Whole Sub Primal Beef Sold at Cost – customers can save 26% to 32% on sub primal beef. Cut upon request for free
  • Healthy Alternative Power Buy Box – Save 23% on 16 pounds of select cuts of lean beef and pork
  • Economy Power Buy Box – Save 27% on 15 pounds of select cuts of beef and pork

“This has been a challenging year for us all, but we at the Defense Commissary Agency are thankful for the opportunity to support our nation’s military,” Saucedo said. “We are proud to provide their commissary benefit.”

-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.