...for as long as it takes
By Staff Sgt. Alicia K. Borlik, USA WASHINGTON -- There are 2,000 good reasons to shop in your
commissary. It's part of Kaye Fannin's job to make sure you
know what they are.
Fannin is the Defense Commissary Agency consumer advocate,
a position the agency created in 1998 as a kind of
combination spokesperson, booster, problem solver,
confidante, ombudsman, and more. Studies have shown regular
shoppers annually save 20 percent to 26 percent on
groceries, she said -- and that comes to about $2,000 for a
family of four.
Commissary shopping, she said, is a part of every service
member's total military pay and compensation package. "It
is a benefit to you and, through continuous shopping, you
will save money over going outside the gate," she said.
The commissary agency's biggest challenges come from
outside the gate, she admitted. "Customers see cheaper
prices at off-post stores and wonder whether they're
getting the best deals on post." Fannin's answer is an
emphatic "yes."
Part of her job as consumer advocate is to respond to
customers' concerns and explain how the commissary works.
Pricing issues are among the most frequent she fields.
"The perception of a lot of our shoppers is that
commissaries aren't competitive. I believe that is a
misperception," she added. "I'm not saying they can't find
things cheaper. Customers can go into a market off base and
find items that are cheaper than in the commissary -- but
we call them 'loss leaders.'" Those are items sold at or
below cost to attract shoppers.
Commissary customers may routinely find lower-priced
specials outside the gate, but their commissary register
tape for the whole market basket will be consistently
lower, Fannin said.
She's quick to point out ways the commissary agency keeps
prices low and saves customers money. One is special
savings, offered when companies agree to put certain items
on sale for lower than current prices, Fannin said.
"It's our way of saying to customers that industry is
working with us to keep us competitive," Fannin said.
Trading partners also provide the coupon packets found at
the commissary entrances and throughout the store.
The commissary agency also negotiates with its trading
partners for the lowest price, she continued. It went into
high gear recently when there were reports that it was
paying almost 15 percent more than civilian markets for the
same items.
"We talked to our trading partners to make sure they all
know that we must have the lowest, rock-bottom price,"
Fannin said. "They didn't respond to that lightly." Four
major companies, for instance, gave agency officials a
lesson in their pricing policies.
"They said they start us in their 'lowest-price' range, but
we sometimes don't stay there because there are some costs
associated with getting distributor items to commissaries,"
Fannin explained. The meetings weren't one-sided: Traders
agreed to provide shoppers with more special savings items
and the commissaries with the option of selling "value
brands," she added.
She said DeCA is testing value brands in Southeastern U.S.
commissaries to see how well they sell. Value brand
products are of comparable quality to national name brands
but sell for less. Some companies sell national and value
brands of some items, she said.
Another hot issue among vocal customers is a 1 percent
price rise that hits commissary shelves Oct. 1, 1999. "Our
customers are not going to be pleased with the price
increase," Fannin acknowledged. "But even a 1 percent
increase is going to be a better deal than shopping outside
the gate."
Customers have been asking whether the 1 percent is an
increase in the 5 percent surcharge the agency uses to pay
for a number of maintenance and construction expenses. It's
not, Fannin said, but rather an attempt to cover losses due
to theft and spoilage. Civilian markets add in such losses
when setting their prices -- it's part of the normal cost
of selling goods, she said.
Fannin said she has received numerous e-mails and phone
calls from concerned customers in her first six months on
the job. The top issue, she said, is item selection --
patrons tell her they want what they want everywhere they
go.
"They have an item they like, they PCS to another part of
the country or world, and they want that product to
accompany them," she said. "They find out their new
commissary doesn't stock the item and they don't understand
why."
Sometimes it's possible to get the item and sometimes not,
Fannin said. Sometimes there's no way to get a product,
perhaps because a company only sells it in certain areas;
for example, regional brands of potato chips, soda and
canned goods.
"But if there is a way, we will do it," she said.
Fannin is the commissary shoppers' direct link to agency
policy and decision makers. She is responsible for
maintaining two-way communications between commissary
patrons and agency officials. She is the agency's liaison
to the National Military Family Association and other
groups representing commissary shoppers.
"If you don't take care of your customers, someone else
will," the consumer advocate said. "We have to make sure we
listen to what they have to say and factor that in when we
make decisions."
Customers are still encouraged to use local channels to
voice concerns about their local commissary. Shoppers can
also fill out a "Your Action Line" customer comment card,
which is sent to the commissary agency's inspector
general's office for review.
"As I get comments from field through letters, calls or e-
mail, I provide the IG with follow-up so they can keep
track of what our customers are saying," Fannin explained.
"We look at it from a statistical perspective as well as to
identify any trends or continuous problems in certain
areas."
For now, Fannin does most of her customer work by phone and
e-mail. Commissary customers call or e-mail their concerns
to her, and she responds. "Turnaround time is almost
immediate," she said. The response is the answer or a note
that she's working on the question or has sent the issue to
another commissary department with a deadline for action.
In addition to fielding customer questions, Fannin helps
develop new ways to involve customers in the commissary.
One initiative is for the agency to form a commissary
consumer panel, the members of which represent the customer
base. The panel would be a sounding board. The commissary
agency might find panelists by tapping local commissary
councils and other interested groups. "This would give
consumers another forum for input," she said.
Along those same lines, the agency already has a seven-
member retiree council, which met for the first time in
November last year. Six are retired service members and one
is a retiree's spouse. The council will meet twice a year.
To reach Fannin, click the Web site envelope icon to send
e-mail or call toll-free: To send e-mail outside the site, her address is:
Fannin's mailing address is: Related Site of Interest: Defense Commissary Agency
Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
American Forces Press Service
1-800-699-5063, ext. 48772 or DSN
687-8772.
fanninpf@hqlee.deca.mil
Consumer Advocate
Office of Public Affairs
Defense Commissary Agency
1300 E Ave.
Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800
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