A woman shops inside the commissary at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Friday, Mach 3, 2023. (Jeremey Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — A post on a popular Facebook page for military families at this airlift hub in western Tokyo created a stir Friday by reporting a 15% increase in prices at U.S. military commissaries across Japan.
However, the proposed increase has been put on hold, Kalani Patsel, the Defense Commissary Agency zone manager in Japan, told Stars and Stripes by email Friday.
The proposed increase would not apply to individual shoppers, anyway, according to Patsel’s memo on the subject posted to Facebook.
“Nothing has changed in the Commissary, and we are status quo,” Patsel told Stars and Stripes without providing further information.
Commissary customers check out at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Friday, March 3, 2023. (Jeremey Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)
A member of the Yokota Community Facebook group, Thomas Hittle, posted Patsel’s Wednesday memo about the immediate price hike. Similar postings were made on other Facebook pages, including the popular Air Force amn/nco/snco group.
Hittle’s original 11:23 a.m. post included a copy of Patsel’s memo and stated: “Casual 15% price hike effective immediately.” The post was edited at 3:05 p.m. to clarify the surcharge applied only to retailers purchasing commissary supplies and not to individual service members, their families and other authorized patrons.
The affected retailers include dining facilities operated by the Morale Welfare and Recreation divisions on military bases, base exchanges, enlisted and officer clubs and other organizations, according to the memo.
The commissary agency planned to recoup the costs to transport merchandise and loss due to theft, spoilage and shrinkage by collecting the additional 15%, in addition to an existing 5% surcharge, according to the memo.
Hittle’s post drew 50 comments by 4 p.m. Friday, including several by people who thought they might suddenly see another hike in grocery prices, already higher this year due to inflation, on base.
“This doesn't affect transactions for families,” Holly Dunn of Rowlett, Texas, wrote in a Facebook post Friday. “This affects businesses and organizations that purchase to fundraise or resell. Public Health limits where organizations can shop. Just don't be surprised when organizations really hike up those prices at events just so they can profit some for their organization.”
