Commissaries to start scanning IDs

Published Nov. 21, 2013
Defense Commissary Agency

SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mich. -- Commissaries will soon begin scanning customers' Department of Defense ID cards at checkouts as the Defense Commissary Agency continues its pursuit to deliver a 21st century benefit.

The commissary at Fort Lee, Va., became the first store to scan ID cards on Oct. 22 as the first part of an agency-wide rollout to all stores that begins Nov. 10 and will be completed by mid-January.

Commissary shoppers are used to showing their ID cards to establish their eligibility to use the commissary. By scanning the ID at checkout, DeCA will no longer need to maintain any personal information on customers in its computer systems, such as the system used for customers who write checks. Scanning will also help improve the commissary benefit for all patrons, according to Joseph H. Jeu, DeCA director and CEO.

"In addition to verifying customers as authorized commissary patrons, we'll gain information that will give us a better understanding of our patrons, allowing the agency to provide the commissary benefit more effectively and efficiently," Jeu said.

Cross-referenced with other DOD data, the scan data will give DeCA useful information about patron usage, by military service, along with customer demographics that does not identify specific personal data of an individual. This will eventually help the agency identify shopping needs and preferences - information that is essential in today's retail business environment. It will also allow more accurate reporting to the military services on commissary usage.

The demographic information DeCA will use is strictly limited to: card ID number, rank, military status, branch of service, age, household size and ZIP codes of residence and duty station. DeCA will not be using any personal information such as names, addresses or phone numbers.

"The methods, processes and information we'll use will not compromise our customers' privacy - they can be sure of that," Jeu said. "We're putting technology to work to better understand our customers and ensure the commissary benefit continues to remain relevant to them now and in the future."

For more information on ID card scanning, go to http://www.commissaries.com/documents/contact_deca/faqs/id_card_scanning.cfm.

About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Authorized patrons purchase items at cost plus a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. By shopping regularly in the commissary, patrons save an average of 30 percent or more on their purchases compared to commercial prices - savings amounting to thousands of dollars annually. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America's military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.