[FlagDayNCO]

When I was in the "Real Army", the PX and Commissary were a true benefit, based on the pricing and goods available. As the Army went through reductions and other non-sense cost savings -never saving any money, the PX became a target.

My Great Aunt retired as a DA Civilian working as a high ranking person within the Army Reserve and she put me onto something.

The decision making staff at AAFES were all the spouses of COL and General Officer types, so they tended to make decisions based on their ability to purchase. The spouse of an O-6 can pay more than PVT Joe Snuffy.

Somewhat related is the thread on General Officer perks, as the PX system was replacing good buys with higher priced and high-end items. Does PVT Joe Snuffy really intend to buy $80.00 after shave? The market that AAFES was catering to was changing, but the customer base remained the same.

In addition, I recall AAFES being mandated to raise prices, as politicians were claiming AAFES had an unfair advantage against the local stores outside the Main Gate. Now, what was being touted as local Mom & Pop stores was said to be an effort by WalMart to gain more of the market share. Recall that She-Clinton was a major WalMart investor.

This was a big deal in New Jersey, as AAFES did not pay the extortion-like taxes that WalMart and other stores paid outside of the bases.