commissaires do not offer "hefty" savings, not when you consider the 5% and the tipping...not when you take into account that people off base have to travel some good distances to get there...
but they do offer good savings is you're careful....
back when hubby was "in" the area had coupon wars with two different chains offering double and triple coupon savings....it beat the commissary in a heartbeat....
you forgot to throw in the fruit & veggies that spoil by the time you get it home...
give the franchise to walmart.
I have found the same thing. It is not any cheaper to shop at the commissary than it is to shop at HEB. The commissary does have good deals on certain items that we go buy once in a while and occasional sales like the case lot sale that are good deals.