'Virtual Commissary' expands product selection Published April 12, 2006 FORT LEE, Va. (AFPN) -- The future is now at the Defense Commissary Agency. It’s not the “final frontier” by a long shot, but DeCA’s Virtual Commissary has been expanded to include 37 new item selections, including snack packs and special occasion baskets. This brings the total number of gift baskets on Virtual Commissary to 44 with more on the way. “We began Virtual Commissary just before the holidays with seven gift baskets,” said Patrick Nixon, chief executive officer and acting director of DeCA. “The customer reception was promising and now we’re pleased to offer many more items, all at great prices.”Authorized commissary shoppers in the United States and military shoppers overseas can check it out at http://www.commissaries.com. Customers can check for availability of delivery to APO and FPO addresses as well as more information on what’s in the gift baskets by clicking on the image. To access the extended commissary, shoppers must pass through a secure portal under the shopping link at the Web site. Access is dependent on whether the customer is entered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, known as DEERS. Civilians stationed overseas who are authorized to shop at commissaries may not be able to access Virtual Commissary until programming changes are made by the Defense Manpower Data Center, DeCA officials said. Those upgrades are targeted for completion this year. Virtual Commissary customers can make selections and fill in their payment and shipping information in one secure step. They are then transferred to the manufacturer’s site where they can get total cost for the product (including shipping) and finalize their purchase. Items offered on Virtual Commissary are well below average retail prices found at other online services. Charges will vary depending on the item size or weight, method of shipping, location and speed of delivery. Payment can be made with any credit card accepted in real commissaries. Customer information is not archived by DeCA. Eventually, Virtual Commissary will offer more gift items. Long-range plans include online shopping for hundreds of items routinely found in commissaries. That should be helpful for deployed service members, military retirees and Guard and Reserve families living far from installations. The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families. Authorized patrons purchase items at cost plus a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones.Shoppers save an average of 30 percent or more on their purchases compared to commercial prices -- savings worth about $2,700 annually for a family of four.