October is a popular month for the Defense Commissary Agency's (DeCA) Guard and Reserve Sales. These are special events where a commissary store loads up a truck, or several, and sets up a temporary commissary-type store at a location that doesn't have a full-time store. DeCA calls them Guard and Reserve Sales because they usually happen in a Guard or reserve facility; I call them remote location sales because I don't want anyone to think that they are only for Guard and reserve members. These sales are open to all eligible commissary patrons, including retirees and active duty families.
Stock is typically similar to that of a case lot sale, with a limited selection but highly competitive prices. I find this a great time to stock up on non-perishable items, consumables such as toilet paper, and cleaning supplies.
Here are the dates and locations for October 2016:
8 October 2016
Guard and Reserve
Fargo Reserve Center
3920 31st St N
Fargo, ND 58102
14-16 October 2016
75th Training Command
10949 Aerospace Ave
Houston, TX 77034
14-16 October 2016
Guard and Reserve
Kalispell Guard and Reserve Ctr
Highway 93 N
Kalispell, MT 59901
16 October 2016
North Dakota Guard
1501 S 48th St
Grand Forks, ND 58201
20-22 October 2016
Guard and Reserve
Military Family Support Ctr
1901 Terrell Mill RD Ste 200
Marietta, GA 30067
24 October 2016
Guard and Reserve
Chadron National Guard Armory
485 East 12th Street
Chadron, NE 69337
27-29 October 2016
Guard and Reserve
Chappell Armory, Bldg 3000
Camp Joseph T. Robinson
North Little Rock, AR 72199-9600
The link in each sale listing will take you to the webpage of the hosting commissary store, where you can find their telephone number. Please call the hosting store before going to a remote location sale, as sales dates and times can be affected by any number of factors including base operations, weather, and merchandise delivery troubles. It'd be awful to travel to a remote location sale and discover that it had been postponed or cancelled.
If you go, I'd love to hear your reviews. The commissary system can offer great savings in some markets, in other markets you can find better prices on selected items in your local stores. How do the remote sale prices compare in your town?
