The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is proud to deliver commissary benefits to the men and women who served our nation and the eligible family members who supported them. To celebrate Military Appreciation Month in May, most DeCA commissaries will hold sidewalk sales to thank you for your service.
Sidewalk sales will typically be:
- Held over three to four days (one to two days at some locations).
- Designed to offer extra savings to customers.
- Located on sidewalks immediately outside DeCA stores, weather permitting.
While DeCA strives to deliver the best in service and savings for customers every day, Military Appreciation Month offers a special opportunity to help military community members save even more on a broad selection of quality products while highlighting our appreciation for their incredible bravery and commitment.
“We can never thank our military enough for their dedicated service,” said Bonita Moffett, DeCA’s director of sales. “However, at DeCA, we can ensure we do our best to deliver a commissary benefit with the quality and savings they deserve.”
Types of products available during the Sidewalk sale include:
- Snacks, such as nuts, chips and candy;
- Cold cereals;
- Beverages, including flavored water, juices and energy drinks;
- International foods;
- Baking and canned goods;
- Pet food;
- Non-food items, such as paper towels, toilet paper, wipes and cleaning products;
- Baby products;
- Health and beauty products.
To locate Sidewalk Sales at commissaries in your area, visit the DeCA Sidewalk Sales schedule. Use the commissary store locator for additional information available on individual commissary websites. Customers are encouraged to use these resources or contact store management for more details or updates. Likewise, overseas customers are encouraged to contact their local stores to explore specific promotions at their stores.
Sidewalk Sales are also available to disabled Veterans and authorized caregivers who recently became eligible to shop at commissaries (effective January 1, 2020, the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018 authorized the Department of Defense to expand access to commissary shopping privileges).
Since this law took effect, commissary shopping privileges were extended to:
- Veterans with any service-connected disabilities documented by VA;
- Veterans who are Purple Heart recipients;
- Veterans who are former prisoners of war;
- Individuals assessed, approved and designated as primary family caregivers of eligible Veterans under VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.
Learn more about commissary shopping eligibility.
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As always, these notices are late. What good is the website when you can’t access anything on time? Very disappointed inthe whole process. My husband filed his claim LAST May and has still not heard anything about it. Was sent to the new third party people that were supposed to expedite claims. Nothing is easy in this system. Really sad. This was posted on the VA News letter we get, but I can’t find an URL address that works. Yikes!
I’ve been a Viet Nam Vet with Purple Heart since 1970 , wish I had heard about this a lot sooner. Local VA Rep said all claims have to be processed by Nov. this year. Mine is for agent Orange.
This came after the sale weekend for those within a decent driving range. Want to cut out retired vets?
Got the notice after commissary near us had the sale.
Good read, I was a military brat an did 23 years in the Coast Guard. Military bases I lived on was Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico an Governors Island NY, an Otis ANGB MA. I liked the small time atmosphere of the bases. An knew my family would be taken care of while underway. When I went civilian in the 90’s, the bases were disappearing. I do not know how are sailors, airmen, soldiers an Marines can even cope with the off base housing, as far as price. Last exchange I was at last year in the state of Washington, I thought the clothes they were selling were crap…..I miss the old, hometown base.
Don’t think you save that much shopping at the commissary as you did in the past.
I still shop there when I am going to the base for other things but it is a long trip out there and I like shopping there simply because it’s not as crowded as the stores in town and I don’t have to worry about some drugged out maniac going berserk in Walmart
I remember shopping the commissary, getting a full cart of groceries for $30 in the late 70’s, now its $300.
They use to have lots of coupons available but they are rare to see now.
They do have more military brand items that can save you a bit over name brand but choices can be limited.
You can save more by shopping other discount stores like Food Max and Food Outlet.
Just like how they promised free medical and dental for the rest of our lives when we re-enlisted, now you will spend the rest of you life paying deductibles and copays. They closed most of the bases and slowly cut back on benefits and programs. Recruiters must have it tough now days.
I think the veterans should be able to access a military installation with their VA Card.
timing is a little off. maybe next year or event, we will be notified earlier.
Why is no date given for these sales?
I just received this information today. It saddens me to no avail the disconnection within this program. I have missed the opportunity to purchase the sale items because of the late notice.
I think it is terrible that all vets are not eligible regardless if they are disabled or received some sort of medal. We all put our lives on the line during our service period (VietNam era for me) and just because we were lucky and didn’t become disabled during our enlistment we should not be excluded. My ship, the USS Sterett, was the flagship during the Dong Hoi battle in VietNam. It shot down several migs and surface vessels. The USS Higby was hit by missiles and severely damaged. This all happened two months after I was discharged. So I guess I should have extended my service contract just so I could get commissary privledges, is that right?
Rec’d this email on May 18, close to 6 pm…local commissary (Groton, CT) had the sale from May 12-15….
published by Vet Resources//VAntage Point on May 14, in the “middle” of the sale….(I guess to limit the amount of visitors to the base commissary)
It is ironic that everything we are ever interested in in the newsletters, like the commissary sidewalk sale, the dates have already passed before we get the newsletter.
Why is there such a disconnect in the veteran’s programs? I just received this in an email on 18 May, when the event already occurred near me 15-17 May? It’s extremely frustrating when the options are there and it’s too late to take advantage of them.
I don’t understand why we would get this information after the dates listed for the sales in my area. Today is May 18th. It looks like any veterans in my area wishing to go to these events are receiving this message at 9:30 pm on a date after the event has passed, according to the list.
I sure hope y’all know that May is already 1/2 over. Better late than never.
I realize no one really answers any comments but I’m going to make one anyway. You mentioned side walk sells. Sounds good, but when there’s not one within 65 miles and my DH has Alzheimer’s and can not ride that far without having panic attacks, this offer really does not help many veterans with disabilities. With the high cost of groceries currently it would be very helpful to many of us. Sending out your “sales offer “ is a very cruel joke!
I am a vet that used to work on the ft. Bliss commissary. They dont treat their employees well. Some managers should have never beem selected. Do your price comparison as the side walk case prices are usually no different then the price per item. Shame!
The Deca sidewalk sales for military appreciation month was super helpful… I received this today the 18th and it was over on ft drum on the 15th… Thanks a heap
Great to get info regarding the Sudewalk Sale at Jacksonville NAS, 2 days after it ends!
Can Gold star mother’s shop the commissary !!
I am 93 and rated 30% disabled, my daughter has moved in with me, to help. What would I have to do to get her authorized to shop at commissary, and does this include the exchanges. I am retired Usaf. Would she qualify for caregiver compensation?
Tyvm for the alert!
When Does It and date also time open and close
…and remember boys and girls, if you are not service-connected disabled, you are a worthless veteran.
I am 100% disabled and never have taken advantage of the great things the VA and the commissary do for us vets. Can you help me find a time and place that my wife and I can attend. Thank you, Gerald Young out of the Grand Rapids, Mi. VA.
Retired Military Veterans with 20 plus years of service to their country & their spouses are now exempt from receiving many benefits such as free admission to parks & other state run facilities. Very few offer a minimal discount but most offer nothing at all.
Sir, thank you for your service and your interest in the commissary benefit! I am Courtney Rogers, Consumer Advocate for the Defense Commissary Agency.
Regarding your question, no one at DeCA has the authority to confer commissary privileges to anyone, or to change any of the laws or regulations governing commissary access. However, veterans with a 100% disability rating and veterans with a 100% unemployability rating due to a service-connected condition (and their dependents) are eligible to obtain DoD ID cards and access broader installation privileges than those who are eligible for access solely under Section 1065 of Title 10, United States Code, described in this post.
Therefore, once you have received your 100% service-connected disability rating and received a DoD ID card reflecting that, we encourage you to use your DoD ID card for installation and privilege access. If you have been granted this rating already, but have not been issued your new DoD ID card yet, then please contact your local Pass & ID Office to request guidance on local procedures for this. (I wanted to include these steps, since you mentioned not having “taken advantage” of privileges like this in the past.)
Once you have confirmed that you have the proper DoD ID card reflecting your commissary shopping privileges, you can find the closest commissary to you by using our website’s Store Locator, which is available at this link: https://www.commissaries.com/shopping/store-locations/find-a-store. I hope this information proves helpful to you!
When will I find out what my disability rate is?
claims It took me approximately 3 to 6 month from the time I filed. After that anytime I filed for additional claims it didn’t take as long. as of right now I am declared 100% permanently disabled.
Check your My Healthevet. Assuming that you already applied for benefits.
Thank you for your service and your interest in the commissary benefit! I am Courtney Rogers, Consumer Advocate for the Defense Commissary Agency. While we cannot speak to specific medical determinations the VA may be making, we do offer a page on our website containing information about this expansion for authorized commissary customers, which you can find at the following link: https://www.commissaries.com/extended-eligibility.
You can find links and contact information for the proper VA resources to guide you, under the heading “How to determine eligibility or obtain your Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) if you don’t already have one” on this page. I recommend using that information to reach out to the proper VA points of contact if you have any questions or concerns about what your service-connected disability rating should be.