DeCA - Defense Commissary Agency


DeCA - Defense Commissary Agency
Whether you are a veteran to European living or brand new on the scene, understanding the European stores of the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) will make your shopping a pleasure.

The grocery shopping experience you were accustomed to in the states will give you different expectations in Europe. Likewise, what you find in Europe can differ greatly depending upon where you are stationed.

If you've been listening to your uncle or dad who was stationed here in 1970, we can easily say these are definitely not your father's commissary. DeCA Europe has come a long, long way since then.

There are 60 commissaries in 10 countries: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The region supplies six of the Navy’s NEXMARTS in the Mediterranean and three in England and supports a wide variety of American embassies throughout Europe.

It ships merchandise from three distribution or cold storage facilities in Germany and the United Kingdom. The European Region headquarters is located near Ramstein and Vogelweh, Germany. For easier oversight, there are five zones named Bamberg, Ramstein, Wiesbaden, United Kingdom and Mediterranean, each with a manager overseeing the stores in that area.

Most American military families are stationed in Germany and, accordingly, the vast majority of commissaries are there as well. Stores range in size from little McCully Barracks with one checkout to Europe's largest at Ramstein Air Base with a seven-day operation featuring 17 checkouts and over 31,000 square feet of retail space. While the largest stores are open seven days a week, hours differ according to size, sales and community needs. No commissary is opened 24 hours a day and midnight shopping is definitely out.

You can expect the highest in-stock performance ever maintained in European commissaries (higher even than stateside) and, depending upon the size store, an impressive variety of up-to-date products straight from the states. You can expect a much shorter delay between introduction in the U.S. and addition of the item in Europe. A team of professional merchandisers work extremely hard to make shopping interesting, but don't expect to see an abundance of U.S. regional specialties like your favorite mom and pop BBQ sauce from Little Town, Ohio. DeCA just doesn't have the shelf space and little companies like that don't have the ability to ship overseas.

In all European commissaries you will find vacuum-packed USDA Choice American beef and European pork. With the many "mad cow" concerns throughout Europe these days, DeCA clearly posts the source of beef in all stores and advertises it in as many ways as possible. The chicken is high-quality European product. You'll find some frozen seafood, but only a few fresh fish markets in the larger commissaries.

A number of stores have Pasta Cafes, Bistros, and Ye Olde Butcher Shoppes. Special orders from custom meat cuts, to cakes, party trays and more are available at many locations.

Best Value Item low, low prices are available at every store. There are a number of brand new stores, including Garmisch, Germany, which opened in May 2002, and Sigonella, Italy. Many stores have been renovated.

In a further effort to improve service, DeCA's European Region has its own Consumer Advocate to give customers a specific contact for their questions, comments and concerns. She's Kay Blakley, who has a background in home economics, food and consumer service.

DeCA shoppers have a number of ways of making their comments known. Patron Communication Cards and Your Action Line cards are available in every store for submitting written comments either to the store managers or to region headquarters. Shoppers can also find commissary information and ask questions on DeCA HQ's web page at www.commissaries.com or can call in Germany DSN489-7044. DeCA's number one goal is to satisfy the customer. If you're not happy, tell them. If you're happy tell everyone else!