Falling Commissary Sales Are Raising Risks to Shopping Benefit

Sales at on-base grocery stores have fallen six percent in the past year, 21.3 percent since 2012, putting the shopping benefit at greater risk, say commissary executives.

The worry is that falling sales leave commissaries open to criticism that they’re losing relevancy as a military perk, or becoming too costly for taxpayers to support, given the fierce competition for customers from commercial grocers.