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Commissary customers can request new products

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Krystal M. Jeffers
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Some people find shopping at the commissary convenient because of its on-base location and the variety of items it offers; but like any store, it cannot stock everything. So, when a customer discovers the store does not stock an item they desire, what can they do?

Located at the main entrance of the commissary here, there is a suggestion box with patron communication forms.

"They are customer comment cards; they can write down what they want and put it in the (suggestion) box on the wall at the front entrance," said Mike Hargrave, Defense Commissary Agency grocery manager.

"It was very easy to fill out," said Jackie Robertson, a military spouse who requested hot and sour soup mix about a year ago. "It took about a minute."

To request a new product, a customer should put down the Universal Product Code which is the string of numbers found next to the bar code, near the brand name or the name of the product.

"If they put their email down, I will 'cc' (carbon copy) them on anything I send to headquarters and forward the replies to them so that the customer can stay informed," Hargrave said.

There are three reasons why a commissary does not stock certain items.

One reason is because the item is only available for stores with a higher K-rating. Commissary stores are rate K-1 to K-5 and the higher the rating, the more products a store is allowed to stock. Shaw's commissary is a K-2 store.

"K-5s are superstores and K-1s are the small stores," Hargrave said. "If an item has a K-4 rating, then K-4 and K-5 stores can stock it, but a K-2 store has to get special permission to do so."

Robertson's hot and sour soup mix was originally for a store with a higher K-rating, however, the commissary was able to gain permission to stock the item and see how well it sold. If people liked it they would keep selling it, Robertson said.

A second reason an item may not be stocked is if that item is only stocked at stores by request. These items are considered "s-items" or special items.

If it is an s-item then it is store-optional. The store has to ask headquarters to add it to the items they can stock, Hargrave added.

The last reason is that the product is not a part of DeCA's product list and, consequently, none of the commissary stores stock the item. In these cases a request can be made to add the product to the list.

An email requesting the item will be sent to headquarters and they will look at how well it sells, which will influence their decision whether to start selling the product in the stores or not, Hargrave said.

"If it sells well they can bring it into the commissary but it is not always a guarantee," Hargrave added.

If the item is not approved to be stocked in the store and it is on the DeCA product list there is another way for the commissary to get the product for the customer.

"If DeCA decides we can't stock it then our other option is to special order it," Hargrave said.

The commissary at Shaw can try to special order it from the commissary at Fort Jackson, S.C., which has a higher K-rating as a K-4 store and thus can stock a wider variety of items. However, special orders are ordered by the case. So, if a customer wants a product ordered for them they would have to buy a whole case.

On average it usually takes one day to two weeks to discover if the commissary will be able to stock or special order a product; however, some cases can take longer.

"I was very surprised and impressed with how quickly they took care of my request," Robertson said. "I didn't have to wait a couple of months. It was taken care of in (about) two weeks."

"The customer service at the commissary is always very nice," she added. "I am glad I did it and from my positive experience I would do it again."