Because of grocery shopping trends, DeCA has been galvanized to bring online ordering, payment and pick-up options to all commissary-eligible patrons.
The Food Marketing Institute recently reported that online grocery shopping has escalated to previously unpredictable rates since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. FMI had estimated that 20 percent of all U.S. grocery shopping would be done online by 2025. However, the rates of e-grocery sales expected to occur over a 10-year timeframe actually occurred in just six months.
Here’s a brief rundown of Commissary CLICK2GO’s new features:
· Improved navigation and search functions to help customers plan healthy meals and take care of their family’s needs;
· Enhanced product information;
· Robust recipe features;
· Featured sales and promotions;
· Upgraded mobile-friendly experience, to include seeing order history for ease in re-ordering desired products;
· Online payment.
“Perhaps the most significant enhancement is online payment,” Moore added. “You place your order and pay online, and then it’s simply a matter of driving up to the curbside delivery area of your commissary to have your groceries loaded into your vehicle – that’s a streamlined process our customers expect in this information age.”
Information on how the service works and the rollout status is found on commissaries.com with dedicated sections such as “How CLICK2GO Works.” First-time customers will need to create an account.
Moore said the agency-wide expansion of online ordering/curbside delivery service aligns with DeCA’s strategic goals to make the commissary benefit accessible to as much of the patron base as possible.
“Our CLICK2GO rollout has been long desired by our patrons and we fully grasp that they expect us to deliver this convenient method of grocery shopping as soon as possible – they want to know when they will see it at their commissary,” Moore said. “I can assure you that we’re working as hard as we can to make this happen as quickly as possible.
“We’ll have the schedule on our website to keep people updated as best we can,” he added. “Our promise is to get it to all U.S. stores this calendar year – maybe sooner – and we are committed to getting it to our overseas stores soon thereafter, as we work through international challenges like COVID restrictions.
“Commissary CLICK2GO builds on the vital benefit we deliver exclusively for our military community and their families – we deliver the savings but we have to improve on convenience and CLICK2GO does just that,” Moore said. “With it, patrons near and far can plan, order and pay for their purchases on-line and simply swing by the store to get them. It makes the commissary worth the trip and I envision it will enable us to eventually offer delivery – where our patrons can enjoy their hard-earned benefit from the comfort of their homes or barracks.”
Save on variety of dairy products to match on-the-go lifestyles
June is National Dairy Month and if you’re into dairy, the commissary has you covered with a variety of chilled dairy products as the days of summer grow hotter.
“Commissaries worldwide have the quality dairy products people expect in a full service grocery store, and we go further because we’re priced to save our patrons significant money on their purchases,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, the Defense Commissary Agency’s senior enlisted adviser to the DeCA director.
The variety includes milk (from whole to skim), yogurt (from fat to non-fat, plain to flavored with fruit added), butter, margarine, cream, half-and-half, and all kinds of cheeses sliced, shredded or in blocks. The products come in varied sizes or amounts and some are packaged in individual serving containers to match on-the-go lifestyles.
“It’s fair to say that the commissary offers an incredibly varied lineup in our dairy sections that includes lactose free and non-dairy options to fit just about any diet,” said Jessica Stables, DeCA’s dairy category manager. “We have many organic offerings and even have our own organic commissary store brand, Full Circle, in cheese, eggs and butter.”
Customers can find plant-based products in dairy to include non-dairy milks (almond, soy, oat, coconut), yogurts (almond, soy, coconut) and plant-based butters just to name a few. The commissary also offers its own store brand of lactose-free milk.
Stables reminds customers to periodically look around for new items in the dairy department. There’s a new pudding dessert featuring name-brand chocolate or cookie pieces and it’s sold in individual serving containers. Speaking of convenience, a major cheese producer has combined name-brand crackers with cheese in snack-sized packages.
“Really anytime is a good time to shop for dairy products in the commissary, and during the month of June customers will see special promotions all across our department,” Stables said.
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