By This actually surprises me considering the amount of illegal activity in regards to blackmarketing that is allowed to go on here:
Camp Stanley in South Korea has received the L. Mendel Rivers Award for the Best Small Commissary Overseas, the Defense Commissary Agency has announced.
Runner-up for the award was the commissary at Camp Zama in Japan. Camp Carroll’s commissary in South Korea received honorable mention in the same category.
The awards were announced this week during DECA’s 2009 Conference and Training Event in Richmond, Va.
“When we acknowledge our best it sets a standard across the agency that raises the bar for all our stores,” DECA director and CEO Philip E. Sakowitz Jr. said.
“These awards validate the excellence of our employees and industry partners as they deliver a world-class benefit to our most deserving customers.”
DECA manages the grocery stores on all U.S. military installations worldwide.
In all, five stores received top honors.
The winning stores were evaluated on accountability, unit cost, a customer-service survey and sales. For example, in the area of unit cost, the store’s annual operating expenses must meet or come in below the average of previous years. [Stars & Stripes]
Notice that one of the criteria for winning the award was sales. Well that means that this commissary had a huge advantage over the others with all the blackmarketing going on. So that means criminal activity helped them win the award.
By the way from my experience at the Camp Stanley commissary the service there was good, but the blackmarketing going on was plain as day.
5:29 pm on May 21st, 2009 1
According to Commissary management, black marketing / ration control is not their concern. They are here to make sales, and if that involves some questionable things, that is not their problem.
5:51 pm on May 21st, 2009 2
They haven't slowed or stopped black marketing on the Penisula in over 60 years so why start trying now? There's not a shortage of anything anymore anyway.
6:20 pm on May 21st, 2009 3
Jesus.. I remember when one of the green suits I worked with had to stand tall in front of the man because he was $200 over his limit, come to find out that he couldn't have done it basis he was on leave back in the states during the time that these purchases took place. Come to find out, one of the cashiers were remembering individual numbers of people/soldiers and punching them in for their ""Friends"" to over purchase stuff that was under ration control. BTW the ""friends"" were not SOFA individuals..(wink,wink,nudge,nudge, nudge).
11:43 pm on May 21st, 2009 4
However, their blackmarketing activity is giving them an advantage over other small commissaries in other countries for this award if sales are going to continued to be a factor in this award.
5:20 am on May 22nd, 2009 5
If sales is the main factor, and "black marketing isn't their responsibility", I would be the best manager of a commissary!
Cue music!
"Can't speak English? Not a member of a "friendship" association? Awaiting extradition to the United States for fraud? North Korean spy running from armed South Korean agents?
Well… nooooobody walks at Craaaaazy ChickenHead's Giant Commissary of Blindness where every day is sales day… and our monthly sales greatly exceed the theoretical limit of product movement based on stationed personnel!
This month, half-off on ox tails and Johnny Walker Blue Label with our everyday looooooow duty-free prices… subsidized by the American taxpayer (and their grandchildren)!
…loaded right into your New Car Sales foreign car by our friendly staff.
No installation access? No problem! We deliver nightly to your Bongo or Porter right outside the back gate between the hours of 3am and 4:30am!
Got a special request for a rare item? No problem at all. For a small cash fee, we will even hold it for you until it has depreciated off our books… and then the real savings can begin.
Sure, Korean rice is better for Korean Body… but once you see our prices on fifty pound bags of fluffy white California rice, you will remember that Korean Body is number one strong.
Be sure to inquire about our "quantity re-sale discount" where you move even more product, join our all-you-can-eat cheap Spam program and make a fist-full of won!
So what are you waiting for? Come on down and put that money back in your pocket while enjoying some fresh LA Kalbi.!
* Start-up fee payable in cash to manager or their representative may apply.
7:07 am on May 22nd, 2009 6
I use to be an employee of Camp Carroll Commissary,one of the runner ups a long time ago. I can tell you that what they are using for a big part of their criteria is sales. When I worked there most of their big purhases were people buying high profile blackmarket items. We were constantly lectured by the mother country commissary in Taegu that we were not police and sales was are main business. At that time most of the customers were active duty, but in the last few years their has been a big influx of contractors at Camp Carroll and their sales have increased quite a bit as the contractors are authorized priveledges. What is interesting is they have all these controls to try to stop blackmarketing that do not work, but what I did see to almost eliminate was the 1997 Korean economy collapse. Also some food companies know if one of their items is a high profile blackmarket item in that a few times they would make their bar codes so they would not scan at the register and be tracked. Even though you do not exceed your dollar limt you can be called to ration control if you make a "suspicious" purchase.
3:19 am on May 24th, 2009 7
I just know that during my TDY there in 2007 I commonly would see the same woman who worked at the Commissary go over to the PX and guy tons and tons of candy. canned foods and many other items in bulk. Also the PX people would get her a rapped package from the back nightly…..at Stanly in the winter you can go out to the clubs or hang out at the PX checking out whats new on the shelves…..Or both……\
Anyway I happen to be looking in the direction of here when she was at the back register….why the back register….paying for this stuff and the PX guy looked at me and told her in bad English she had too much stuff. She found me later in the PX and told me she was buying for girl scouts..not really sure why she told me this….and I laughed at her and said I EVERYDAY
Later she came back and bought the rest… I read all the magazines…….then transported to her car parked in the handicapped spot out in the lot
Pretty normal for Korea