Fort Sam Houston Commissary

Very small with a very limited variety by comparison to other commissaries. This is disappointing since it is the only commissary on Ft. Sam. I find myself going to off post stores more often than not in order to compensate.

Convenient for us. Decent process although some of the fruits that are priced cheap trend to go bad fast. All around low prices.

a lot cheaper than HEB. My mother and I go once a month and stock up since its a good 20minute drive or a bit more from my house. But we take ice chests and coupons and stock up for the month. I’m not crazy about the ground beef, I prefer it at HEB, but it’s a lot cheaper so I still buy it at Fort Sam. The frozen meals are cheap, dairy, hot dogs and sausages and lunch meat. I do find that canned goods are a bit cheaper elsewhere, so I mainly stock up on meats, dairies, frozen foods, veggies, bread and personal care items. We make it a day and on weekends we always buy a hotdog from the vendor right there by the front door. Everyone is friendly and I really have no complaints. I MUST agree with Chelsea L though, i hate feeling guilty and having to tip. I can’t believe their baggers only work for tips. that just doesn’t sound right. even wait staff have an hourly wage… not much, but that’s why the tips make up for it.
All in all, we’ll still keep shopping here.

I don’t like how I feel like a scum bag for not tipping the baggers who according to Lots of signage work for «tips only». Honestly, I will bag my own groceries just like I do at Food For Less if you guys arnt paid! The reason I shop at The Commissary in the first place is to save $$$$ we are a young married couple and both of us are students, one in The Navy. We need to save. So– I shop at the commissary and I am then guilted into donating my saving plus probably $ 5 I wasn’t going to spend, on to the bagger, whom the store can’t afford to pay a wage but me, the individual, the young married couple trying to stretch each paycheck, I can afford to help pay your wage bagger.
No I can’t afford it. I can barely afford these groceries and going out every once in a while on a date. Ugh. Rant over

Yeah about this commissary. It blows… that sounds harsh but I am not feeling this one. I will continue to give my money to Randolph and I like it there. IMO Better service especially at the deli counter.

A bit underrated and underappreciated in my opinion, especially considering that it’s one-​of-​a-​kind on Fort Sam Houston. It’s a nice, big, convenient place to get all your groceries on post. It has pretty much anything you would want in a supermarket, and it’s located right next to the Post Exchange store to make shopping a breeze. I’ve even found some Asian products like Pocky and yogurt drinks here, and it was a bit surprising finding them on a military base in Texas.
The appearance of the store is clean and professional; it’s nice to know that the only commissary here isn’t run-​down or disorderly. It is quite spacious overall and somewhat resembles a large Safeway. Prices are generally low, and the lack of sales tax also decreases your spendings a bit. I do feel bad for the people who stuff your purchases into bags, though; they have many signs clearly displaying that baggers make their money from tips only. I guess you have to save a few to give a few.

The produce at this Commissary is absolutely horrible. It is a great place to shop to save money but there is not a lot of variety. I would rather spend a little more and go to HEB and I live on post!

I used to shop here for most of everything but the produce (read Elsa’s review). I liked that it’s not so huge but I can get most of what my family and I needed/​wanted here. They need more self checkouts though since one of them is almost bound to be out of service.

In Texas, where many consumables aren’t taxed, commissary prices don’t necessarily represent that much of a bargain. There are, however, some big advantages to shopping at the Fort Sam Houston Commissary.
Vitamins and nutritional supplements, meats, Bob’s Red Mill «gluten-​free» products, and imported foods are an especially good deal. The store is immaculately clean, shelves are well-​stocked, and I can smell the fresh vegetables as soon as I enter the door! On my last visit, the produce was beautiful– particularly the alfalfa sprouts and celery.
I’d honestly forgotten what a relief it is to shop in a store where one needn’t dodge numerous unsupervised children. Lest anyone misinterpret this statement, let me make it clear I used to teach and I genuinely LIKE youngsters — just not when they’re endangering themselves and everyone else by running amok [And that’s not to imply there aren’t hazards in the aisles — slow-​moving Seniors — but since I’m significantly closer to that age group, my reflexes are better attuned to deal with it].
In the checkout area, there’s one line: uniformed military have priority, of course, but otherwise the «next available checker» calls the person at the front of the line — elegantly simple!
Hours of operation are a bit restrictive; and to echo Elsa’s advice, expect heavier-​than-​usual crowds around military paydays — the first and fifteenth!

It’s hard to ignore the slightly lower prices, no taxes, and a small overhead fee. The prices on some (if not most) items are pretty competitive.
Their produce is decent, but they are not always the freshest, ie. lemons, peppers, tomatoes, etc. I’ve noticed some of them spoil a little quicker than the produce from civilian grocery stores. But the seedless black grapes were fantastic today, and the pineapples and bananas are always in great shape. The meat selection is relatively sufficient. It is mostly beef, pork, poultry, commercially packaged meat products, and a smattering of seafood. There is no meat case or fish monger. I appreciate that they offer handy clear plastic bags for the occasional leaky package of chicken. They don’t offer a very comprehensive selection of toiletries, but most national brands are available. They are well stocked on pet foods, cleaning products, snacks, cereals, canned goods, bread, frozen foods, dairy, etc. I’m not very tempted by their bakery goods, but the deli is pretty decent. Off the top of my head, some things they don’t carry are alcohol, fresh cut flowers, prime cuts of meat, nor do they have store brands that you would see in a civilian grocery chain.
Overall, the Fort Sam Houston Commissary is not a bad store to shop, but the 1^st and 15^th of every month requires a little patience if you must go on those days.

So my review is based on two things. The commissary is great, friendly staff, fresh produce, but the old retired fuckers that run you over with their carts SUCK!
Under NO circumstances should you shop here around the first of the month… retired people EVERYWHERE!