AAFES Base Exchange

Truth be told, I HAVE experienced better Base Exchanges. This particular base exchange is rather small for a base this size. I know they base the size of the stores on the military population, but the reality is that the pool of people eligible to shop at this BX is rather huge due to a fairly high retiree population. One would think that it would be bigger.
I see the BX here as like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, only it’s missing the bread. What I mean is, you can get some of the things you want or need most of the time, but you won’t complete your Christmas shopping in this one spot. However, what they do have, and what I do need, they seem to have enough of. Mainly, I shop for clothes and gadgets. I will admit, I am not a huge gamer or a fashionista, so I’m fine with the selection there.
As always, mileage will vary. You may find better deals online or at other places. The best part about the BX is the tax free benefit, and where this really helps is on the high end electronics, appliances, and firearms.
However, customer service has always been good. I haven’t really had any true complaints about selection, and I accept that the BX won’t have everything I need.

It’s your average, everyday BX. They have a little bit of everything, but an extensive variety of nothing. I have had good luck with their Michael Kors and Under Armor clothing selections, but nothing else really stands out. I couldn’t believe after they renovated their food court that it was crappier than before. Sure, it looks nicer, but the options just aren’t there.
Overall, I certainly would not go out of my way to come here. You’re better off going to a mall and dealing with the tax.

Went to go get a watch battery changed and I was told that they wont touch it but I can do it with the tools they have to change batteries. Really? Im willing to pay you to change my watch battery. I went to the mall instead because this place is worthless.

I do a fair amount of shopping (looking) at the Base Exchange just to see if they have an item that I have seen out in the real world. Sometimes I get lucky, most times not and almost never in the clothing or shoe department. However, I was doing my usual «look and see what they have» today and I was pleasantly surprised when they had the exact Ralph Lauren shirt I had been looking at elsewhere recently, but not in my size. The exchange had the size I needed and for $ 20 less and of course a sales tax savings.
It has been my experience that Exchange will get clothing items I am interested in long after I have already seen them elsewhere and have either purchased or decided against them. So hopefully my recent find is more than just accidental good timing.

Just like all the rest of them… well…a bit smaller.

Eh. This exchange is simply mediocre. They have the monopoly on the exchanges in the area so I am not sure that there is much motivation for them to change.
Products, especially clothing, are basically generic. They do have a small selection of designer or name brand things but nothing over the top. Most of the brand name items are geared towards and older crowd. There is certainly not much in the juniors section.
They do have Hallmark cards which I really like. Their magazine selection is simply ok. What really surprised me is their lack of Air Force gear! I really want a USAF sweatshirt and you would think this would be the place to get it. Thats a big negative. None here.
Overall, if you want to go to an exchange then this is where you will shop. Period. I would recommend the NEX catalog or online store if you can wait for an item. This place leaves much to be desired.

This is probably the worst BX I’ve ever been to… and I’ve been to many. The place was being renovated for quite a while and that made it an unpleasant experience. As far as the merchandise goes, they are ok. They don’t seem to carry the same amount of merchandise and brands other BX’s do. An example of a good BX would be the one at Maxwell and Lackland AFB. The food court is nothing to be excited about either. They have a Burger King, Charlie’s and some fish place I think. In addition, the amount of retirees that come here make it inconvenient. It’s always crowded and it’s never easy to just go in and out quickly. So now I only come here if I’m planning on purchasing electronics so that I can save on tax. and even then, I would rather shop through the Exchange website.
There’s no entry on Unilocal for the commissary so I thought I would add my thoughts here. This commissary is by FAR the worst commissary ever. The meat and produce selection is great, but you will find rotten produce often. Also, they seem to change things around a lot which can be confusing. This may have been because of the remodel, but who knows. As for all commissaries, prices are hit or miss. Sometimes you save more money going to Walmart or Kroger. The commissary may be «tax free», but there is a surcharge and it can add up. The sushi is a joke. They don’t even make rolls with fish anymore. It’s a mess of fake crab, hot sauce, and avocado. And worst of all, this commissary is completely active duty unfriendly. Don’t think about coming here at lunch thinking of getting in and out quickly. It won’t happen. The parking sucks at lunch time. Most retirees seem to do their shopping at noon. This makes it difficult for us active duty folks at lunch time. There’s no active duty line and the self-​checkouts are backed up with people with full carts. Employees insist in checking your ID even while in unifiorm. It’s come to the point that I’ve sworn off this place. It’s too much of an inconvenience, particularly when you’re short on time.

The BX/​PX has changed a lot over the years and so has the commissary.
I remember going to the old one and everything was kind of dark and unfriendly. They rebuilt both in the 1980s, as I recall, and it’s bright and welcoming, but it’s strange that there are no military personnel checking i.d. cards as you enter.
Prices are generally good on merchandise but on cameras and electronics, they’re often higher than retailers outside the base and it’s the same way with the AAFES/​NEX catalog. Tax or no tax, sometimes it’s difficult to find a deal.
Household items, furniture, and appliances are across in the garden center, as is the alcohol.
It’s good that they added the food court when they re-​built the place. The old dark, greasy fast food place wasn’t pleasant at all.
The commissary used to be incredibly cheap, but with the surcharge, it’s fairly expensive, but they have a good deli and the meats are good, also. Add to that the foreign foods section and you’ll have reasons to go, but for daily shopping, it’s probably cheaper off-​base.
I’m sure it’s about the same wherever you go. Patrick AFB in Cocoa Beach, FL was similar and the NEX in Orlando was a bit higher, but they closed the training facility there so the Navy Exchange was very much a standalone location.

Best thing about the BX, hands down, is the price– you really cannot beat the prices here. My husband bought his coat here because it was almost $ 40 below the price of the cheapest nearby retailer. And that was $ 40 cheaper before tax– the BX doesn’t charge tax, making the prices even more appealling :)
Second best thing about the BX is the customer service. We bought our bed here when we PCS-​ed to Wright-​Patterson. The mattress and box spring were the best deal we could find in Dayton. While looking around the furniture area, I found a bed frame that was exactly what we wanted and asked the associate helping us about it. Apparently, it was the only one in stock, so he took apart the floor model and sold it to us with a discount since it was the floor model. He also set all of it away in the back for us to pick up later on when we moved into our apartment– something we very much appreciated since we didn’t have anywhere to store a mattress, box spring, and queen bed frame. The guy was super helpful and friendly the whole time :) I’ve had great customer service experiences at the Commissary as well– the associates are very helpful with finding things, even go as far as looking in the stock room to find it.
The only reason for a 4-​star review, instead of a 5, is the produce department of the Commissary. Specifically, the frequency at which there is rotten or near-​rotten produce. And I’m not talking 1 or 2 mushy apples or moldy oranges– I’m talking the whole roma tomato batch being moldy. Yep, not a single one was untouched by the greenish-​blue fuzzy. Delicious. And don’t get me started on the red bell peppers… I count it as a miracle when I can find 1 that isn’t mushy. Yucky. I recommend getting your produce elsewhere.

Pretty busy BX. Decent selection in every department. Some remodeling is going on currently. The bathrooms were unavailable and we actually had to walk through the administrative offices and employee locker room to use the employee bathrooms, which were clean.

I love AAFES as a whole, but for this being a major base, this facility is totally inadequate.
It is one of the oldest and smallest ones I have been in here in the states… for a base this size.
They are in the middle of remodeling the food court, but other than that the store is over 40 years old… was build in the late 60’s I believe.
I doubt AAFES will ever read this, but they need to invest some money here like they have been doing at other bases all around the country.
I have a hard time giving AAFES a 2 star rating on this; however, for a base this size… to put it bluntly… this BX sucks!

Salute at the gate. Do NOT drive above the speed limit.

AAFES (a.k.a. the Base Exchange or BX on an Air Force base or Post Exchange or PX on an Army post) is where soldiers, sailors and airman shop for their needs if they can’t go out on the local economy. Wright Patterson has a pretty darn good exchange with a commissary (a.k.a. Grocery Store) attached. The customer service at this place is pretty darn good. The electronics counter manager is always willing to give you honest advice, even if it means he’ll sell a lesser priced item rather than a more expensive piece.
In Aug. of last year, we needed a new washer /​dryer before I left for Iraq. This was huge because I’d be gone for a year and I didn’t want my wife to be stuck without a working washer /​dryer while I was gone. We went to the Home & Garden store and began shopping the appliances. The store manager didn’t have what we wanted in stock. Instead he sold us floor models which he was not supposed to do. He made some calls and eventually got the okay for 2 brand new floor models (they hadn’t even been there 2 weeks). My wife loves them now and always thanks me when I call home if she is doing laundry at the time.