COMMISSARY more comsy issues

[tinamsuarez]

They did it again. I went to the comm. this morning and every person there was telling me about these women. The usual lady brought two friends yesterday and each went through the line with 30 overage cases, bought no groceries and each went away with $1100 in gift vouchers. They supposedly said they were going to another commissary later. We have several around here. If it ends, they won't even care because I guarantee you at the right they are going they will each have at least 20,000$ in vouchers to carry them through. Warning now, they are buying up all overage coupons so if a new one comes out, you better get it fast. At least I am not the one at my commissary everyone hates. I used to be, but now this lady is the one they all can't stand. No one else can get any special orders in. Just greedy. I keep telling them they should limit them but they said if they do she will just get her limit every day.... Oh well, I just hope it doesn't end because I have 5 kids to feed and I only get enough for food, I never have any left over for vouchers. Just had to vent.

WOW, people like this are def going to put an end to things for us :(

[PMFan]

unless something has changed, it is against DECA policy to obtain a voucher for the balance of overage. so she is breaking the rules, period.

special ordering and redeeming coupons that give overage is not abuse. after all, it is DECA's policy to allow both, so no problem.

however, the deca policy gives the example of possible priviledge abuse as large and frequent special orders and large purchases of the same item. if you think it through, you will realize why this would raise a red flag as potential abuse.

I agree with the store credit in a person's name. The idea of vouchers makes me a bit nervous because of the huge possibilities for abuse.

As far as reporting her goes, at least in regards to the large orders and overage, she isn't necessarily breaking any rules. She is being greedy and unfair to other shoppers, but as long as the coupons are being redeemed properly the commissary isn't losing any money. They are still getting face value plus .08 for each coupon.

[pmorse]

Where does it say it is against deca policy to get the vouchers? I would love to show it to my store. I mean, I love overage, I need overage, but I really think they are just abusing it. Please don't get mad but free food should be enough for anyone.

[PMFan]

i can find no specific reference to vouchers in the policy; however, i've been reminded a couple of times by cashiers when they realize i have overage coupons that i cannot get cash back. it's never a problem since i always have more groceries than overage.

i've also seen on other couponing sites that vouchers are against DECA policy. the only way to confirm the policy regarding "vouchers for overage that exceeds purchase total" is to email an inquiry to DECA directly.

Where does it say it is against deca policy to get the vouchers? I would love to show it to my store. I mean, I love overage, I need overage, but I really think they are just abusing it. Please don't get mad but free food should be enough for anyone.

[tivaclare]

$20k in vouchers?????? Unreal. I know I originally said to let sleeping does lie, but NO WAY, those particular shoppers need to be taken care of. That is PURE ABUSE.

[pilesoflaundry]

Why have they not banned her? Why have they not limited her special orders. Even if she gets the limit daily, if they enforce a limit it may slow her down enough to allow other shoppers something too. I don't understand why they are letting her get away with it because they can stop her.

[tivaclare]

Why have they not banned her? Why have they not limited her special orders. Even if she gets the limit daily, if they enforce a limit it may slow her down enough to allow other shoppers something too. I don't understand why they are letting her get away with it because they can stop her.

I agree. In this case it may be a matter of manager indifference? Maybe someone who shops at that store should ask to talk to him/her and explain that no one wants to ruin a good thing, but it is greatly damaging the shopping experience there and that it is believed that something should be done to even the playing field.

On another note, I find it darn near impossible to find decent coupons anymore. Now I know why...greedy, impossible people...:shrug7:

[tinamsuarez]

Thanks for contacting the Defense Commissary Agency through the Your Action Line program. I apologize for the delay in responding to you. I have coordinated with DeCA's East Region, and you should have received a response from the store yesterday on most issues, but I would like to address your comments about rising prices. We appreciate you bringing this concern to our attention. All commissaries change prices twice a month, as compared to weekly or more frequently in the private sector. Prices are changed on the first and 16th of each month and are usually in effect for 30 to 45 days. The number of price changes will vary according to the size of the store, but these price changes will always reflect the cost of the items to DeCA, as we are required by law to sell at cost plus surcharge, so we never make profit from the items we sell. You might see a special promotion or sale price in effect that actually reverted to its regular commissary price on the first or 16th of the month, which may cause the perception that the price was raised for a coupon if it was released at the same time; however, this is not the intent. All of our business systems and future price changes are geared with these price-change dates, and our manufacturers have these dates worked into their pricing schedule as well, for months in advance. These price changes occur simply because manufacturers put their marketing dollars towards periodically lowering prices even more to help us deliver the greatest savings to you; these savings up to nearly $3,300 per year for a family of four, according to FY09 USDA figures for retail grocery store food purchases consumed at home. I hope this information proves helpful to you. Thank you for your continuing support of the commissary benefit! Sincerely, Courtney Rogers Your Action Line Customer Comment Manager

I would like to thank you for shopping at Fort Buchanan Commissary and for trusting me with your comments about coupon redemption. The cashiers do indeed examine each coupon, and I am certainly sorry for any trouble or inconvenience this has caused you.
I regret that our coupon redemption procedures give you the impression that coupons are not welcome at the commissary. The commissary is all about savings, which coupons greatly enhance. I urge you to clip coupons and redeem them at Fort Buchanan Commissary for we are here to help you stretch your military paycheck. The reason the cashiers scrutinize coupons is because the commissary is responsible for acceptance based on the terms and conditions set forth by the manufacturers. This includes making sure that coupons are accepted only for products purchased; coupons will often determine the product's type, size, or brand.
DeCA policy states that the customer will receive a credit if the value of the coupon exceeds the price of the product, unless the coupon states "up to but not to exceed" a specified dollar amount and provides a space for the cashier to write in the cost of the item. This statement is located in DeCA Directive 40-6, section 7-4.n; I will revisit this policy with the cashiers and ensure that they understand and follow it.
An expert in DeCA's Office of Corporate Communications will be responding to your comments about rising prices; you should be receiving an email from this office soon, if you have not already gotten it.
Again, I am sorry for any frustration or inconvenience our coupon redemption procedures have caused you, and I do hope you will give us an opportunity to serve you better in the future. Please feel free to call me at ( 787) 707-5077 or send me an email at william.roger@deca.mil to communicate any future comments or concerns. I certainly do appreciate your business, and I hope you continue to take advantage of the outstanding savings at Fort Buchanan Commissary.
Regards,
Bill

[jeweltea]

recently i posted about coupons being scrutinized. now it seems like every good coupon i come across the price rises once they notice. examples are: chinet plates with the $2/1 coupon, the prices rose. kashi entrees with the $2/1, the prices rose above $3!!! razors and toothbrushes with good coupons, the prices have risen. i could go on and on. i have seen them duplicate my receipt a few times so i am wondering if they are seeing what i am getting and then adjusting prices. oh yeah, they also stopped selling marcal single rolls and chinet beverage napkins once they seen those coupons come through. do you think my commissary is doing something they should not be? i sent a complaint to deca yesterday so we shall see what they say.

I do believe this is happening. About 2 weeks ago there was a $4.00 coupon for Hormel ham in front of the hams. The price was $2.99 per pound. I got a couple of the coupons and I bought one of the hams. Today I went to the same comm. and the coupons were no longer there but the price of the ham was now $1.49 per pound!!! I bought another one. When I got home, I checked to see if it had the same pack date and expiration date and they did - no way these were different hams but the price had dropped as soon as they took away the coupons (or raised as soon as they noticed the coupon, whichever way you want to look at it).