Shoppers at all commissaries will have to pay for single-use plastic and paper bags to encourage more people to bring in their own reusable bags, the Defense Commissary Agency said. (Defense Commissary Agency)
All commissaries will begin charging shoppers for single-use plastic and paper bags on April 6, to encourage more people to bring in reusable bags, the Defense Commissary Agency said Monday.
“This change will allow the Defense Commissary Agency to continue to offer its eligible patrons significant savings while strengthening its fiscal stewardship and reducing operating expenses,” according to a statement about the change.
It will cost 5 cents per plastic bag and 10 cents for each paper bag in store and through curbside and delivery orders, the agency said. Customers using curbside and delivery can note when they intend to use their own bags.
This policy does not apply to Guam, Hawaii, California and Washington as these locations do not allow for the distribution of single-use bags, the agency said.
Japan and South Korea will be implementing the new policy with the sale of plastic bags, but they will not sell paper bags, the agency said. In Europe, the new policy does not apply because stores there have been using reusable bags only for about two years now, the agency said.
Stores do sell reusable bags.
The military’s 235 commissary stores are a benefit for service members, their families and specific veterans. Each is mandated to provide 23.7% average savings to shoppers, though in September 2022, a Pentagon memo called on the stores to push that to 25% savings.
In fiscal year 2025 customers’ average savings were 25.2%, according to the agency’s annual report.
However, food prices rose 2.9% in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
For more information, go to https://shop.commissaries.com/bags.
