FORT LEE, Va. – CLICK2GO, the Defense Commissary Agency’s online ordering/curbside pickup grocery service, returned Aug. 4 to the Fort Lee Commissary in Virginia following a yearlong absence.
“We’re pleased to be back to provide this service that’s become especially popular as we all cope with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Willie Watkins, DeCA’s eBusiness chief. “More and more people like being able to shop online and pick up their groceries without having to go inside a store.”
In September 2013, the Fort Lee Commissary became the first store to offer curbside pickup under a pilot program that included two other commissaries. DeCA discontinued that program in June 2019 to make way for a new CLICK2GO, as the agency rolled out its new Enterprise Business System to stores. Fort Lee is now the sixth store to offer the new service, and five more commissaries are slated to get it later this year.
Using curbside pickup is a straight-forward process. Authorized commissary shoppers access the system via the agency’s customer portal, MyCommissary. An initial sign-up is required the first time patrons access MyCommissary. Patrons can also learn more about CLICK2GO on Commissaries.com.
Once in CLICK2GO, patrons select from commissary products offered online based on the store’s stock assortment. After products are selected, the patron selects a pickup time and completes the checkout process. The only thing left to do is arrive at curbside at the appointed time, and pay. Commissary workers will load the groceries in the shopper’s car and they will be on their way.
Fort Lee’s CLICK2GO customers won’t be charged a service fee through August and into the first week of September as part of an introductory offer. Beginning Sept. 8, a $4.95 service fee will be applied for each order, as it is at all curbside pickup locations.
“Our customers are keenly interested in CLICK2GO since it all started here,” said store director Margaret Camacho. “Now we’re ready to once again let them enjoy shopping online and picking up their orders without having to go inside the store, which is something that really appeals to families with young children.”
The curbside program is also offered in Virginia at Fort Eustis, Naval Air Station Oceana, Marine Corps Base Quantico and Fort Belvoir. It’s also available at the McGuire Air Force Base Commissary New Jersey, part of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst community.
In the other five stores where it’s offered, CLICK2GO has seen a huge increase in customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the startup at the Fort Lee Commissary is just the latest part of an ongoing expansion of the service, Watkins said.
Barring any unforeseen issues, the agency plans to roll out the service to five more commissaries this year, and there are plans to expand it to considerably to more stores over the next two years, said Watkins.
The five stores scheduled to receive the service later this year are: Fort Polk, Louisiana; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida; Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota; and Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. The number of stores and locations to get the service in 2021 haven’t been announced.
DeCA operates 236 commissaries worldwide. Not all stores will receive the service. A variety of factors, including sales and transactions, existing infrastructure and demographics are considered to determine if a commissary is suitable for CLICK2GO.
“Our agency is responding to customer shopping trends, and we’re pleased to be able to expand this service,” Watkins said.
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PHOTO CAPTION:Tiara Edwards loads groceries in the vehicle of one of the first customers to use the Fort Lee Commissary CLICK2GO online ordering/curbside delivery service Aug. 4. (DeCA photo: Rick Brink)To see photos related to this release, go to the agency’s Flickr site.
About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.
