{"id":67521,"date":"2023-04-21T20:08:07","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T20:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/04\/21\/expansion-of-commissary-doorstep-delivery-program-on-hold-for-now\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:23:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:23:30","slug":"expansion-of-commissary-doorstep-delivery-program-on-hold-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/pay-benefits\/mil-money\/2023\/04\/21\/expansion-of-commissary-doorstep-delivery-program-on-hold-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Expansion of commissary doorstep delivery program on hold, for now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plans for expanding the commissary doorstep delivery program<\/a> to every stateside commissary are on hold as officials try to find a way make the program financially viable while keeping customers\u2019 cost as low as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilot program continues at eight commissaries in the continental U.S., at least through June, but the delivery fee has more than quadrupled. The new delivery fees, implemented March 1, now depend on the distance of the customer from the commissary and range from $15.99 for a delivery within one to five miles up to $29.99 for a 16- to 20-mile trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, it was about $4 per delivery, which was the only cost to customers beyond the actual cost of groceries and the 5% surcharge. Customers also have the option of tipping the delivery driver when they check out online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commissary website notes that the pricing is determined by the delivery service provider, not by the Defense Commissary Agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a $4 delivery fee \u2014 which was the only money the contractors received \u2014 the program wasn\u2019t sustainable, said numerous sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The federal minimum wage for federal contract workers is $16.20 per hour. Add on the current mileage rate of 65.5 cents per mile, plus fringe benefits and other costs, and \u201cit\u2019s very difficult to make it work,\u201d said Todd Waldemar, founder and CEO of ChowCall, the contractor providing the delivery service at all eight commissaries in the pilot program, in explaining the delivery fee increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Losses of $40 to $70 per delivery were cited in the questions asked by potential bidders in the contract solicitation for the expansion of the deliveries at all stateside commissaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExpansion will be delayed until further notice as DeCA performs additional market research\u201d to find an approach that\u2019s sustainable and cost-effective for commissary customers, said commissary agency spokesman Kevin Robinson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means they\u2019re trying to find a way to make the program viable for contractors, while keeping the cost for commissary customers as low as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDeCA has been working hard to make this work,\u201d said Waldemar. \u201cMy interpretation is that they\u2019re trying to find that sweet spot of how to make it viable for a contractor while staying true to their mission of improving quality of life for service members, families and other authorized commissary customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s close to being viable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caitlin Hamon, deputy director of government relations for the National Military Family Association, said the program is still needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a service that families want, that they requested during the pandemic,\u201d she said. \u201cWe think it\u2019s important those families who need the delivery have it still as an option and still have access to the low-cost grocery benefit of the commissary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were told by families, and earlier by DeCA, that the delivery services were becoming more popular,\u201d she said. \u201cWe would encourage them to explore other avenues of funding for the delivery. Obviously the federal government has restrictions, but there\u2019s something to be said for looking at the civilian counterpart grocery setup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t