It's that time of year — commissary May case lot sales. Except that, for a number of stores, the sales will be as early as mid-April.
Check out www.commissaries.com for the dates of your store's sale, generally held on a weekend. There were a few stores that weren't participating this year when I checked before press time. Click on "Shopping," then "Case Lot Sales." All the stores are listed with their sale dates. While most are scheduled for May, the sales start as early as mid-April and go into early June. Case lot sales are held at continental U.S. stores, as well as stores in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Check with your overseas store to see if there is a substitute event such as a sidewalk sale.
Many of the items are sold in bulk, with extra products offered underneath big tents outside commissaries. The savings vary, but the discounts are in addition to the savings you usually find in commissaries.
Because of budget issues, commissaries aren't provided additional operating funds for conducting case lot sales, so stores hold their sales within their normal operating budget. The Defense Commissary Agency relies on its industry partners to provide assistance.
Items may vary from one store to another, but here's a sampling of items that will be featured: diapers, shaving gel, soap, ketchup, various sauces, baking mixes, canned goods, sport drinks, bottled water, peanut butter, pudding cups, luncheon meat, canned tuna, granola bars, popcorn and other snacks, soda, dog food, cat food and litter, laundry detergent, bathroom tissue and storage bags.
Think ahead and prepare for these mammoth sales. For example, if you're about to move, don't stock up on groceries that will have to be packed and unpacked. Do a quick inventory, evaluate your storage space, make space in your vehicle. Also, research prices at other stores in your area, comparing prices by unit. Take your coupons.
Finally, be mindful of your budget: Do you really need those items? And if you use your credit card to buy these great bargains, make sure you can pay it off at the end of the month.
Deli and bakery services
Customers at 44 commissaries in 21 states have lost deli and bakery services within the last month after the Defense Commissary Agency terminated contracts "in the best interests of our customers," officials said.
DeCA is working to get services back to normal, using an expedited contracting process. Hopefully the new contracts will be restored and operations will be in place by mid-June. In the meantime, DeCA is pulling together interim solutions. Customers can still buy cold cuts, potato and macaroni salad, fruit and vegetable trays and similar items in their commissary's grocery and produce aisles. The affected stores are also getting increased quantities and selections of products to help fill any short-term needs, officials said.
Have you done your taxes?
If not, don't forget the resources the military offers: free secure, online tax prep software through MilitaryOneSource.mil, filing through H&R Block and tax consultations with tax professionals. Check with your installation tax center to see if they can squeeze you in; and some bases have set up kiosk centers near legal assistance offices where you can go to prepare your own taxes, with a professional to help you if needed.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
