It’s that time of year when the sun is out, which means that we should get ready for our Case Lot Sales!
If you are in the military (dependent or service member) and you’ve never heard of a Case Lot Sale then listen up, ’cause you’re gonna LOVE this!So What Is It? A case lot sale is a bulk sale held by your commissary during the sunny and warm seasons. You’ll find tons of things you can buy in bulk for excellent prices such as cereal, snacks, paper products, meats, grains, and even some fruits and veggies. I have only seen them held outside in the parking lot in front of the commissary, but you can check with your commissary to verify this.
I have a friend who bought a large box of noodles for just $10 that lasted them well over 6 months, which was more than enough to last them until the next case lot sale.
Can I Use Coupons? The answer is absolutely YES! This is one of my favorite attributes of the case lot sales. I brought in my coupon binder and was able to get 12 boxes of breakfast turkey sausages (sadly I can’t even remember the brand name) for only $5. It lasted us for many months.
Just as the commissary has coupons up in their stores that are available for whatever brand they’re marketing, you will also run across a lot of coupons at the case lot sales. The only rule is that you are not allowed to double up in store coupons and manufacturer coupons. This was a mistake I made with the cereal I purchased: they had store coupons for Cheerios and I had some manufacturer coupons I tried using in conjunction with the store coupons. Sadly they turned mine down and so I didn’t get as much off as I originally thought. No problem, though, because I was still quite happy with the price ($1 per box).
How Do I Prepare? Based on my own experience with case lot sales, you’ll want to plan your trip out ahead of time in order to avoid those impulse buys and keep your stress down. One thing the commissary usually does is release an itemized list of products they’ll be selling at the commissary that includes the pricing. Generally speaking they won’t release this list until a few days before the sale.
Remember, check out your commissary’s website to find out more details. If there isn’t enough info there then there should be a phone number you can call to find out.
Some Of My Own Advice: People can get very belligerent and rude at these case lot sales (including the cashiers) so be prepared as much as possible ahead of time.
- Make a list.
- Move through the tent as fast as possible and please please please do NOT block the isles (is there anyone else who CANNOT stand this?!?!).
- Have your Military ID and payment ready when it is your turn (the cashiers get VERY irritated of you’re not ready).
- Be courteous and mindful of others.
- Go with the flow: I was really confused the first time I went to a case lot sale because it was strangely set up. Just be ready for things to be a little confusing.
- Avoid bringing your kids if you can: I took my kids to my first case lot sale and it will be the last time I’ve done that. You will get stressed out more than you need. So if you can, don’t take the kids with you!
Anyone have some more advice or ideas please let us know!
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