I just got home to look over my receipt from a trip to the Atsugi Commissary.  Nearly $7.00 for a bag of grapes?! it wasn't a very big bag at that!  Seriously?  I know we get Cola but every month the rate seems go to down... and SERIOUSLY?

Yup.....that's the commissary for you! Yokosuka isn't any better. I can't understand why the produce on base cost more than off base. I mean.....the commissary buys in bulk, don't they? How much are they marking it up? And don't even get me started on the expired goods on the shelf. It really is ridiculous....who's running this place anyway?! Nobody would shop at the commissary in the states if it was open to the pubic and it carried expired goods and jacked up prices. I also find it very frustrating when I walk into the commissary and the shelves are empty. There has got to be a way for them to plan ahead for when ships come in to make sure the shelves are always stocked properly. I know it doesn't have to be this way because I've lived on another base here in Japan and it wasn't like this all.

Ok....I had to chime in with this rant. Sorry you all had to hear me bellyache!

I went to the commissary with a friend the one time who was just picking up some various fruits and she didn't think much of prices and we got to the register and they were $14 for one bag of grapes!!!!! That is just crazy to me, i don't know how they could possibly be that expensive!!!!

It is nuts! Plus, ours doesn't carry ANY fresh chicken and the other day they were completely out of yogurt! What?! I don't understand. I will be doing most of my shopping out in town!

Why don't you guys shop off-base? Everything is much higher quality, and the prices are way more reasonable.

I tend to buy a lot of our groceries off base these days. I still buy my cheese and rib eye steaks on base, but I go off base for fresh goods.

I hope someone that runs the commissary reads this forum, and over time, makes a few changes. I'm sure it's a tough job, but I do believe they can do better. Or, perhaps they don't care. I sure hope that's not the case.

Posted By KeithJ on 22 Jan 2010 04:13 PM
Why don't you guys shop off-base? Everything is much higher quality, and the prices are way more reasonable.

I do a lot of my shopping off base but sometimes it's a lot more convenient to walk over to the Commissary than it is to load the kids up and head out to town.  I guess I'll have to make the time... the produce is so much better off base.

I'm lucky enough to have four nice groceries stores within a 2 mile radius of where I live.....Jusco, Ito Yokado, Seiyu, and Costco. I can pretty much get whatever I need from any of these stores. I could see how it could be a lot more inconvenient to pack up the kids and go off base. The big grocery stores just outside Yokosuka Base can get quite busy and parking can be on the tricky side.

I don't like $7 grapes either. I don't like empty shelves, I don't like a lot of stuff. One of the things I DO like to do is to find out why things are the way they are. So I ask the commissary managers.

1 Non-Japanese produce is imported via ship from the states. That means transportation charges must be included in the cost. A lot of produce that is out of season (grapes, apples, oranges) in the states are imported from other countries which means additional charges.

2 Transportation of product is done on a regularly scheduled basis but sometimes Japanese holidays can cause delays. Sometimes the ships just don't make it on time.

3 There are also annual contracting issues with local and regional suppliers which can lead to delays and empty shelves.

4 Expiration dates (best if used by) are ball park figures based on may variables regarding the product, handling issues and packaging. Packaged items that are shelved with past-due expiration dates have been lot-inspected by the very good Army Veterninary staff and approved for continued sale. (I don't see anyone complaining about having to use expired coupons.)

5 FFV is another matter. All I can say is the commissary staff does the best it can with what they have.

"It ain't like this in the states" is a comment heard all too often from new arrivers. I give the same answer all of the time: You ain't in Kansas anymore, Toto. The military does the best it can to accomodate families and make life as comfortable and as close to statside living as it can. This is also not Yokota or Kadena where space and warehousing is not an issue. All of the commissary warehousing is in Yokohama at North Dock. That means transportation delays because there are only so many trucks.

All of you family members asked to be here. You knew you were coming to a different country and should have known things would be a bit different. Suck it up, learn to live with it and learn to adapt to the world around you. As mentioned too many times around here, there are plenty of other options available to you, which I'm not going to take the time to mention. Part of the adventure is learning that on your own and then teaching others.

Good luck and enjoy your stay.

I understand that I'm not in Kansas anymore... I'm just trying to understand how the grocery in town can manage to stock fresh produce and chicken and the commissary can't? Hawaii had the same kinds of issues with shipping food products but there were NEVER empty shelves, expired product, or outrageously expensive produce at the Pearl Commissary. I guess I'll just learn to 'suck it up'... but I'd rather they find a way to make it better .

gebck, you said, "all family members asked to be here." Are you sure about that? I don't think everyone on base "asked" to be here. Don't get me wrong, I love Japan and I am one of those people that wanted to be here in Japan.

Also, you say to "suck it up." There may be perfectly good reasons from upper management as to why it is the way it is, but the whole purpose of this forum is so we can rant. So, that's what we're doing. I think we all have perfectly good reasons to rant over the commissary.

I still don't believe it has to be this way even with all the reasons you state above. Any good management has to deal with problems and learns how to overcome them. It's there job to correct the matter (over time) and not just let the problem "slide." If the commissary was set up like a real business (for profit) then you better believe there would have been a remedy for all those problems a long time ago. But, because it's not, we are forced to accept the status quo because it doesn't matter what people think about the commissary.....it's not going anywhere, nor will it "go out of business."

Your sponsers were ordered here, not you. You all chose to accept an accompanied tour set of orders. That's just fact and there's nother personal.

Rant away. All I'm doing is offering information for those uninformed folks and perhaps providing some answers to their questions.

I'm sure management at any commissary will be happy to take your recommendations if you choose to speak with them. ICE works very well at the commissary as well.

You may or may not see me rant on this site but I can assure you that where ever I am in the world if I see something that doesn't look quite right I try to find out why it is. Now, I HAVE taken yours and others' issues stated here and throughout this site to management at the commissary. To kind of sum up all of their answers into one statement it would be this: "Yes, there are a lot of things that we'd like to do here to make things better, and we're continually trying to do so. For many detailed and intertwined reasons, all involving our location in the world, we simply can't do it all. We try to provide the products that the customers ask for however it's sometimes not going to be as inexpesive as they'd like. We are ready and willing to discuss in detail any issue any customer wishes to bring to us."

Posted By gbeckwith on 28 Jan 2010 10:10 AM
Your sponsers were ordered here, not you. You all chose to accept an accompanied tour set of orders. That's just fact and there's nother personal.

He has a very valid point and although harsh it is absolutely correct. The US Navy only really ordered the military member to be here and offered his/her family the opportuntiy to join them at their duty station. There are a lot of members here and everywhere else that are on an Un-accompanied tour because their family chose to not accept the Navy's invitation. It might not be the nicest thing to hear, but it is 100% accurate.

You're right.....sponsors were ordered here and the family members chose to accept the accompanied tour, but I don't think that means they "asked" to be here. I don't mean to play semantics, but you just made it sound like everyone requested to come to Japan. Most family members don't want to be separated from their spouse, so of course they're going to tag along.

I do appreciate you looking into the matter. I personally wouldn't have gone through all the trouble because I know nothing would have been done of it. Sometimes we just get tired of hearing excuses rather than remedies on how they're going to fix the problems. But, that's the gov't for you.

Don't worry, I don't take anything personally, so feel free to come back at me!

Well, that's true. I chose to come to Japan, rather than deprive my children of their father for three years. And I'd rather not end up divorced, so I'm here. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

Anyway, why is the LOCAL produce so much more expensive at the commissary than out in town?

It is just easier/cheaper to buy some things off base, I don't expect the base to meet 100% of the needs of my life. They basically provide Japanese goods/produce in the Commissary as a service to people too lazy to go off base. Kinda like room service at a hotel, you are gonna pay a premium for taking the easy way out and being unwilling to go where you know something is cheaper.I can buy a soda for 75 cents from a vending machine or can buy a 12 pack at the store for $2.99. Its up to me and my level of laziness which one I buy on a regular basis to meet my soda needs.

I like your analogy Blacklabel! Although, if I bought something in a vending machine and it expired 2 months ago, I'd be pissed!

My point is, if the commissary and AVE are getting their strawberries from the same local supplier, why shouldn't they be closer in cost? And why should the strawberries shipped all the way from the States cost so much less than the strawberries that only had to be trucked in from a much shorter distance? Is the commissary getting reamed somewhere along the line?

Now THAT is no lie. I shouldn't have to spend an extra 30 mins every time I go to the store checking expiration dates. But if I dont I am sure to come home with 2 or 3 expired items. Bought some shrimp the other week that was on sale, I saw January 28 or something as the expiration date so thought they just trying to discount it before it expired. But when I went to cook it I noticed it was actually January 2009!! But being a guy, I boiled it and ate it and didnt die so it must have been ok. But man....almost a year old!

Ya, if you cook anything long enough, you'll kill all the bacteria in it!   Meat lookin' a little green, well then, it's well done steak tonight!

@Adina for the same reason we pay 25-50% more than a Japanese person for the same apartment. Base allows it to happen because of instead of dealing from a position of power and negotiating in bulk, they let the Japanese companies think they are doing us a favor by selling us things. Thus the higher prices, we pay more to them as a courtesy for having to deal with us.

@yokogirl yeah I mean the caveman ate stuff that was almost raw and he made it through, so I guess we will be allright if something is a little old too :-)

Oh Guys... don't get me wrong! Our family jumped on the opportunity to experience Japan. I'm not going to let something like a crappy Commissary ruin our experience here. I can still rant about it if I want .

At Port Hueneme in California the meat is always tinged a bit green. the chicken always has a pungent smell. I couldn't stand shopping at the commissary when i lived there. most of the time we went to costco because the meats were always cheaper, packaged in bulk and always fresh!

My problem at the comissary is that everything is packaged in bulk!!!!!! I can't be the only "deployed spose" without kids, so why can I only buy prok chops in packs of 2???? Half the time the pork is previously frozen, so you can't use one and freeze one.......

On the plus side, Kadena commisary finally got parsnips in after we'd been here for 4 and a half years..... I am a very happy girl about that!

Posted By Rylene on 04 Feb 2010 04:15 PM
Half the time the pork is previously frozen, so you can't use one and freeze one...

That bugs me. Why can't they just leave it frozen and let us decide when to thaw it?

Let's see.

The strawberries sold at the commissary are NOT from the same supplier; check the labels. If they didn't put strawberries in there, someone would be complaining "why do I have to go alllllll the waayyyyy to AVE to get strawberries?" So they get 'em.

Suppliers are contracted by DECCA not by individual base, in most cases. I don't know squat from contracting but as I've said before, the local commissary managers can answer your questions.

Here's one for ya. Did you ever notice that you can very rarely find LL size eggs out in town? Why? Japanese don't want eggs that big. It's as simple as that. They're good for commercial use and for selling to DECCA. So I buy them. More expensive than US eggs but if you haven't done a comparison of the differences do it. American egg yolks are bright yellow and lay really flat. Japanese eggs are bright orange and sit up very perkily with no settling.

Meat comes in in bulk; sides of beef, pork, etc. and butchered right there in the commissary. Believe it or not, they WILL special cut for you but you have to let them know ahead of time what you want.

I'm a single guy living alone and I agree with the bulk thing, But what I do, ya see, is par cook the pork, vacuum seal it and re-freeze it.

I was in Pt. Hueneme for 3 years. Very rarely shopped at the commissary. Most folks using it were retirees and fixed income. Not very much cheaper than the grocery stores in town.

I can go on for days but these things you must discover for yourself. And don't forget to talk to your commissary managers. One of them, an old shipmate, told me a long time ago: "All some of these people do is bitch about having this or not having that. They bitch about the prices being too high. They bitch about expiration dates. But ya know what, Gary? They never ask us any questions. Now why do you think that is?"

The strawberries out in town are cheaper and sweeter anyway..

I came from a very small base so this commissary is like food heaven. My old one was the size of the autoport here and you were lucky if you could find bread on the shelves. You had to be there the day it was stocked or you had no choice to buy it town.

They have food my family will eat so it's not that bad. I wish the produce was fresher and some things had more shelf life before their expiration dates, but there's nothing so horrible I can't live with for a couple years or find alternatives out in town. I really wish they would have fresh chicken though!

I don't understand why people are so afraid to buy from the Japanese grocery stores. It is safe! The Japanese people, tend to live a healthy lifestyle and live for a very long time...

I always wondered how they get the super-perishable stuff over here. I know most stuff comes in North Dock still (right?). The fruits and stuff...do they fly that into Yokota?

I don't have any complaints. I love Hokkaido milk. It is manna from the gods. YUM YUM GIMME SOME. If you haven't tried it yet, DO! The commissary sells it, but it's usually gone a few days after they get in shipments. It's a dark blue or light blue (whole/half) top with a picture of a happy Japanese cow on it. IT IS THE BEST MILK IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!

I think our Commissary should get rid of everything else and just sell that. And nothing but that. Mmmmmmmmmmm...

But ... but ... if they don't sell the stuff to make chocolate chip cookies, what will we have with that lovely milk?

I just wanted to make people aware...
A friend of mine just got charged for the people in line behind her and got charged 110 over. So she had to go back and get a refund..and that's going to take a few days to go through. (she had to drive all the way back to Yoko from Negishi)
And last week I was buying a couple cans of pop. A little while later I noticed I got charged for two 12 packs. They were really nice about it at the NEX(Negishi), but you really have to check your receipts!

If I understand this thread correctly, some of you are saying that buying groceries off base is cheaper than the Commissary?

When I was station in Iwakuni (97-01) the commissary was good. I used to live about 40 min away from base and some times I had to buy groceries off base, and the prices were at least double of what you pay on base. I'm not sure if things had change, but normally the commissary is there to help us with the cost of living.

We always shop in the Commissary, even now living here in San Diego. We normally shop at the Camp Pendleton commissary, a lot cheaper than buying off base.

Depends on what you're looking for. Produce is better off base but, for example, lettuce and celery are really high. "Local" produce in the commissary is fresher but also more expensive than off base. No fresh fish on base but no buffalo burgers off base. Beef off base is really expensive (Australian) but really good. Can't get fresh, whole chickens anywhere I shop. Bread is MUCH fresher but more expensive off base. But since it has not preservatives it has to be used up pretty quickly. Wonderbread brands are shipped over frozen and are stale before they're sold. Dry 'em out and make your own bread crumbs or use it for just toast or french toast. Time was when the commissary system had a contracted bakery in Yokota (and also Takeyama; now the community center is on the site) and we got all kinds of good baked goods. Ya just learn what to buy where depending on tastes and needs.

This might be the case in the states that things are cheaper, but I think most of us care about quality over price when it comes to fruit and vegetables. I really don't think there is a big price decrease in the base for those items, so if your paying the same or sometimes more on base for terrible quality, why not just shop out in town.

I will admit the last time I went to the commissary I feel things are improving. I usually only used to see about 1 or 2 employees in the fruits and veggies section, but there were 4 workers! I was impressed. the store really looked nice that day. Now all they have to do is continue to get fresh products and put them out while they are still fresh, not 3 or 4 days later.
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I'm curious... has anyone ever tried one of those $50 melons out in town? And just WHY are they worth $50? are they cloned? Are they filled with diamonds and jewels?

I think we've learned to buy the dry goods, cleaning supplies and such on base. The meats, eggs, vegs, etc are perhaps a little pricier, but much better off base. If we do buy that stuff on base, we buy the Japanese eggs and milk they sell, and then grind our own hamburger, etc.

But they're right, if you're going to buy that Japanese strawberry or pepper pack, it's usually fresher and cheaper off base.

I do wish we could get some nicer (and cheaper) red onions in, though! >_<

I don't buy milk or eggs from the commissary if I can help it, but that doesn't always happen. It's treated differently than the stuff you get back in the states, and I prefer the way that they Japanese handle it better.
Fruits, veggies, fish I always buy off base.
Canned products, regular meat, frozen foods....I always buy on base. Well, for the most part anyway.
Back in the states I usually noticed that DECA had better deals on meat and canned goods, but that was about it. Local markets usually ran pretty good deals on the rest of the stuff overall.

Oh...and the melons, Tirani...
Apparently they are very well taken care of. Music, turned often, etc. It's supposed to make them happy and therefore sweeter. =) I've tried a few, and they ARE pretty good, but I can't say that it would be any better if someone had put it out when it was perfectly ripe and not had the royal treatment.

There is no price gouging. Commissaries are limited to certain prices, mostly it's what we pay for the items, 1% to cover damages on dry goods, meat and produce have a higher markup 3 & 7% as there is more loss (trim) when preparing those items. You get COLA right? That's is why you get it, to offset the cost of prices in an overseas location. No one complains about getting COLA though, odd isn't it?

Oh for god's sake,,, no one is going to CHOOSE be away from their spouse for years at a time so they can get grapes cheap.

I think it is fair for for folks to accompany a spouse here and still reasonably expect grapes at a decent price.
Isn't that why we pay that commissary surcharge?-to cover the extra costs associated with remote locations.

Posted By hippies smell on 08 May 2010 07:07 PM

I think it is fair for for folks to accompany a spouse here and still reasonably expect grapes at a decent price.   Isn't that why we pay that commissary surcharge?-to cover the extra costs associated with remote locations.

No, the surcharge is to cover the cost of construction & modernization of commissaries around the world.  The cost of shipping is built into the cost of the grocery item.  As you no doubt recall, this is also charged at stateside commissaries. 

As far as grapes, etc. I think it is reasonable to expect just the slightest inconvenience when living thousands of miles away from home. It's an adventure!  If you can't get grapes, enjoy some of those good mikan Japanese tangerines.  There are many options when you can't find the exact, precise item you were looking for.  Be creative!

I dont really agree that I should have to spend the little bit of COLA I get to shop ON BASE? but I will play along....

I DO appreciate that we have access to a commissary however, it sure beats the alternative of having to do 100% of our shopping off base.

Valid points by all! Honestly though, if the base is getting under your skin, hop a train to somewhere and get out for a while...I swear, it cures all ills!

yeah I noticed prices going up as well. The finding nemo fruit snacks used to be $1.25 a box I went to the commisary today and they are now $2.30 a box thats almost double from a few weeks ago.

The prices jump around all the time. You have to pay really close attention.

To the people who tell me to get off base... I do almost daily and it's a struggle. I challenge any one of you to hang out with my 2 year old in town for a day and see how much you like it . Sometimes it's easier to run into the commisary than it is to wrestle her at the Maruetsu.

Hi Val, i'm [NOT] meaning to be argumentative esp since I don't have a 2-year-old (he's 21 now!) but how is taking your child to the commissary less difficult than going to Maruetsu? I'm genuinely curious.

Edited to add the word "NOT" after "I'm."  Very important context; gomen nasai!!

Well I understand. My son is 3 the has light hair and light light hazle brown eyes. You get kawie and all the japanesse girls stoping and taking pics with there phones. And everyone of them has to take a sperate picture.Then you have the older folks who stop and I dont know if this is an Okinawa thing but they want to touch his head. Then you have your older single girls who want to play mamasan right there in the middle of the store with him. So depending on if its bussy where you are at in town it can take you a long time to get to where you are going.You would think my son is a movie star.I understand that my son is a novelty here but sometimes you just want to scream. Oh and it doesnt help that my son has picked up some japanesse.........>< as soon as he says anything in japanesse everyone wants to stop everything and hold a 15min conversaion with him.Some days I really cant take him anywhere.So I know where Val is comming from.

Rea-touching the head of a blonde/light colored hair is considered to be good luck

Is it the same thing with the curly hair? My ringlet-covered daughters get fawned all over, too.

I can shove the twinnies in a double cart at the commissary. Out in town, I have to try to herd them through the store while also looking for what I am there to buy. I suspect I'll be doing a lot more off base grocery shopping when they're in school this fall.