Commissary provides Airmen, families savings, customer service Published Oct. 30, 2015 By Staff Sgt. Katherine Holt 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs The Hurlburt Commissary’s goal is to provide patrons a 30 percent overall savings, but a great savings is only a fraction of what they offer. Defense Commissary Agency’s commitment is to provide customer service and quality products at unbeatable prices. “This is one of the non-pay benefits that’s also something [service members] have earned by serving in the military,” said Jack Spence, Hurlburt Commissary manager. “By not shopping here, not only do they miss out on some great deals, but they are missing out on part of their benefit.” Since 1991, there have been numerous changes to the Commissary to provide patrons with a better experience. “We only exist for you guys, without active duty, guard, reserve and retirees, we don’t exist at all,” said Spence. “We understand and respect that. You guys have paid the price, and you have earned this benefit.” Part of existing for the patron is listening to comments, concerns and suggestions. A few years ago, it was brought up that active duty members here would like to see the Commissary open later on the weekdays. “Rather than sitting around in traffic, they wanted to be able to shop at the commissary after work,” said Spence. “We did some research and were able to rearrange some hours in order to stay open later on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights.” This change increased the number of nights the commissary was open until 7 p.m. from one to three. “We understand that a lot of times active duty members do not want to come back on base during the weekends,” said Spence. “So when they leave here on Friday, they can do their shopping and enjoy the rest of their weekend without having to return to base.” Recently, register 11 was designated as a no bagging line during the weekdays from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. for active duty members in uniform who want to get in and out during their lunch hour. This eliminated long lines at self-checkout registers and reduced the amount of time active duty members spent waiting to check out. The customer service provided by the Commissary doesn’t stop with extending hours or opening registers, it radiates through every department. In fact, the Meat Department personnel boast more than 90 years of experience cutting meat. All of them eager to provide the customer with services not provided at most places downtown. “You will not find meat cutters in most of the stores outside the gate,” said Paul Gantt, meat department manager. “We cut meat for single Airmen and small families. We will even cut to order. Come ring the bell, tell us what you want, and we will prepare it for you.” With the majority of supermarkets having pre-cut meat shipped in from suppliers, service members will be hard pressed to find the same quality of meat for the price they get from shopping at the Hurlburt Commissary. “When you go downtown, you get pre-packed meat with extended shelf-life of up to 10 days,” said Gantt. “We cut and grind meat every day. Meat comes in, and they trim the meat and package it for our customers. You aren’t going to beat our prices, quality and freshness anywhere with everyday prices.” The sense of pride for what they do permeates throughout the store. In the produce department, customers will find more than 130 years of experience. “We know what looks good and what the customers are going to want,” said Paula Smith, produce worker. “We inspect the produce before we put it out for our customers.” Their policy is 100% quality. “Produce is received daily which ensures the freshness,” said Yolanda Larson, produce manager. “We receive eight to nine pallets of produce a day. From the truck we check everything to ensure only the finest quality. Our motto is ‘if our employees will not buy it, then we are not going to sell it’.” Providing quality products and customer service at unbeatable prices isn’t the only way the Commissary provides for the men and women of Hurlburt. Though they don’t make a profit, the Hurlburt Commissary gives money back to Hurlburt in a different way. “Sometimes we earn money from different companies for winning things like display contests,” said Spence. “Industry normally uses that money to purchase commissary gift cards to donate back to the men and women serving at Hurlburt Field. For instance, last year we had more than $1,500 in gift cards donated to the First Sergeants Association, and in combination with our donation bags we put up front that our customers purchased and donated, we fed more than 90 families at Thanksgiving and Christmas each during Operation Warm Heart.” Whether it’s the unbeatable prices or the unrivaled customer service, there is something to gain by shopping at the Hurlburt Commissary. “Most of the people know our meat is the best deal, but they don’t realize the overall savings you get from shopping here,” said Gantt. “Even if you come in here and only look at the meat and produce departments, you will come back again.”