Commissary open Mondays during trial period

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Malissa Armstrong
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Base residents may have seen a change at the commissary; the store is now open seven days a week as part of a trial run that will last through September.

The trial began April 30 and the idea is to see if the new hours bring an increase in sales. The more the store is used during this trial period, the more likely this new schedule will stay in effect.

If customers want this to continue, they should take advantage of the extended schedule. If not, there’s a chance the commissary will go back to being open only six days a week.

According to their website, the Defense Commissary Agency, or “DeCA”, operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment.

“The biggest driving factor was Col. Kunkel,” said Jim Morris, Mountain Home AFB Commissary store director. “He contacted our headquarters, our director for DeCA, and they had some conversations.”

So far numbers are looking positive, and a few patrons have commented that these hours are beneficial.

“Aside from the general convenience of it being open every day, it’s nice to be able to come here on Monday for lunch as well,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Carlson, 366th Logistics Readiness Squadron air transportation craftsman. “Just more options in general.”

With the store being open on Mondays, there are more options during lunch for base members. Additionally, Morris said the commissary schedule allows military retirees to take care of their grocery shopping when they commute to the base.

At the end of the day, the goal for the commissary is to better serve Airmen and their families.

“I’m actually new here; this is my first time in Mountain Home,” said Sarah Crisostomo, a military spouse. “I was actually very surprised that they were open on Monday. We were in Misawa, Japan, and it wasn't open on Mondays, so it’s actually nice to have it open.”