Am I the only one who thinks this is the WORST NEX? Their selection, customer service, prices, food court & general atmosphere sucks.

It's a Navy base, every Navy base I've been to the facilties were not the greatest.

Andrews BX is high priced too. You can get electronics much cheaper off base/online even with taxes. I was told they will price match but I'm not driving through Waldorf and PG to Andrews for a few bucks.

I retired 3 1/2 years ago and haven't shopped on base since, except to get a haircut. Even that is over $10 now and I don't have much hair left. Gas is is even more expensive on base...

Am I the only one who thinks this is the WORST NEX? Their selection, customer service, prices, food court & general atmosphere sucks.

NEX's have improved over the years, but I've never found them to have the greatest of any of the above.

Am I the only one who thinks this is the WORST NEX? Their selection, customer service, prices, food court & general atmosphere sucks.

They are currently in the process of remodeling / expansion plans. Hopefully things will be more to your liking. Remember, NEX is not just about you getting lower prices, but about their profits going to the MWR program(s) that support our Sailors.

It's a Navy base, every Navy base I've been to the facilties were not the greatest.

Andrews BX is high priced too. You can get electronics much cheaper off base/online even with taxes. I was told they will price match but I'm not driving through Waldorf and PG to Andrews for a few bucks.

I retired 3 1/2 years ago and haven't shopped on base since, except to get a haircut. Even that is over $10 now and I don't have much hair left. Gas is is even more expensive on base...

I paid $8.25 for my haircut two days ago. You must be including a tip in your price. At any rate, can you go out in town and get your hair cut for that price? If so, where?

They are currently in the process of remodeling / expansion plans. Hopefully things will be more to your liking. Remember, NEX is not just about you getting lower prices, but about their profits going to the MWR program(s) that support our Sailors.



I paid $8.25 for my haircut two days ago. You must be including a tip in your price. At any rate, can you go out in town and get your hair cut for that price? If so, where?
I know the premise of profits going to MWR - What a bunch of propaganda... Pax profits must be going to another base ...lower prices? perhaps on some items. Not worth the crap I've had to go through dealing with this particular exchange.

The NEX system lost focus on their mission long ago. The mission was to provide a quality product at a fair price to the sailors. Now it seems their mission is to constantly remodel (spending $'s that could go to MWR), employing excessive numbers of people (spending $'s that could go to MWR), and incessantly rearranging the stores (spending $'s that could go to MWR). Damn, it sounds almost like the government! Now, I will agree that there are savings to be had at the NEX. Nowhere else can you buy Pendleton shirts, Waterford crystal, Lladros, and Rolex watches at such low prices! Of course the young enlisted sailor with a family needs to begin their Waterford and Lladro collections early, and will always look better in a Pendleton shirt, with a Rolex, as they use their EBT cards to buy food. I could go on forever but in the interest of brevity, all I will add is: get rid of the NEX system!

I know the premise of profits going to MWR - What a bunch of propaganda... Pax profits must be going to another base ...lower prices? perhaps on some items. Not worth the crap I've had to go through dealing with this particular exchange.

Overall, I've been happy with this exchange. Sometimes I can save money, other times I make my purchase elsewhere. You sound like you've had a specific incident, or a run of bad luck, with this exchange.

But you have to admit that it is the best place to get uniforms.

Every time I go in there, I'm thinking "Just who in the heck is buying all these $300 purses?".

I'm sure not. :nomoney:

That's not to say that I don't shop and buy in there; it just means that some of their merchandise is a little pricey for me.

I heard a Military guy talking the other day and he said that military wide they are thinking of changing all exchanges to just X (not NEX etc.) It's part of the one force thing, where we are slowly combining all branches as one.

Beer and liquor is usually cheaper at the NEX :buddies:

I know the premise of profits going to MWR - What a bunch of propaganda... Pax profits must be going to another base ...lower prices? perhaps on some items. Not worth the crap I've had to go through dealing with this particular exchange.

PAX's profits, like the profits of all NEX stores, do not stay 100% within the local programs. All NEX profits, world wide, are gathered up (so to speak) and then distributed in accordance with Navy policy, not NEX policy.
What "crap" have you had to deal with? Did you address it to management?

The NEX system lost focus on their mission long ago. The mission was to provide a quality product at a fair price to the sailors. Now it seems their mission is to constantly remodel (spending $'s that could go to MWR), employing excessive numbers of people (spending $'s that could go to MWR), and incessantly rearranging the stores (spending $'s that could go to MWR). Damn, it sounds almost like the government! Now, I will agree that there are savings to be had at the NEX. Nowhere else can you buy Pendleton shirts, Waterford crystal, Lladros, and Rolex watches at such low prices! Of course the young enlisted sailor with a family needs to begin their Waterford and Lladro collections early, and will always look better in a Pendleton shirt, with a Rolex, as they use their EBT cards to buy food. I could go on forever but in the interest of brevity, all I will add is: get rid of the NEX system!
- Like any successful business, NEX has to remodel in order to keep up with customer demands. Recapitalization is part of any business plan. If they didn't, customers would biatch about awful stores.
- If they did not have the appropriate number of employees on hand (excessive by your standards) customers would be biatching becasue they had to wait in long lines our could not find help when needed.
- Sorry you've got an axe to grind with NEX. Of course, you always have the option of shopping elsewhere.
But you have to admit that it is the best place to get uniforms. :killingme

Every time I go in there, I'm thinking "Just who in the heck is buying all these $300 purses?".

I'm sure not. :nomoney:

That's not to say that I don't shop and buy in there; it just means that some of their merchandise is a little pricey for me.

Yep, some of their stuff is pricey, but it's all high quality. It's good to have options on other places to shop.

I always believed the BX/NEX catered the officers- expensive purses, clothes, jewelry, dust collectors (crystal & figurines). I know I couldn't afford that stuff when I was in.

Ex's Dad bought Thing 1's iPod there. It was priced $20 cheaper than at Best Buy. He took his scratchoff to the register and got 50% off! I think the total cost ended up being $80. Every other time he has gotten scratchoffs they've been for like 10%. :yay:

you should have see it years ago before this new on was built. you want to talk about a hole in the wall

I've never thought of the NEX as a place to get great bargains. They stock (for the most part) quality items at a decent price and the fact that you don't pay tax is a good bonus. I've never paid more for something at the NEX than I would if I purchased an identical item out in town. The one on base here doesn't have a great selection, but it's really small so you take what you can get. I think it's an appropriate size for the size of the base. Last month we went to the remodeled NEX at Norfolk and that place is huge. :lol:

I've never thought of the NEX as a place to get great bargains. They stock (for the most part) quality items at a decent price and the fact that you don't pay tax is a good bonus. I've never paid more for something at the NEX than I would if I purchased an identical item out in town. The one on base here doesn't have a great selection, but it's really small so you take what you can get. I think it's an appropriate size for the size of the base. Last month we went to the remodeled NEX at Norfolk and that place is huge. :lol:

And ours is being remodeled as well.

I always believed the BX/NEX catered the officers- expensive purses, clothes, jewelry, dust collectors (crystal & figurines). I know I couldn't afford that stuff when I was in.

:yeahthat:

Expensive Jeans, shirts, sneakers.. An E-1 couldn't shop for his/her family there.

Norfolk has a kick ass PX, but I was astounded when I saw a USED Rolex in their jewelry display for $18,500..

Our (Army) clothing sales was great before AAFES (PX/BX/NEX) took them over.. Over night prices of boots almost tripled. Uniforms went over double.. etc..etc..

Remember buying a pair of Cocoran Jump Boots for $26, than paying $81 for the same boots 6 months later.

BUT in their defense, they just don't do the quantity of sales/buys that a Wal-Mart or a Target does to get deep wholesale discounts to pass to us. I would argue that we'd be better off selling the rights to the NEX/PX to a private company, and share in their HUGE quantity buy discounts. But would Wal-Mart be willing to run a store out of the back of a 5 ton truck on the front lines??

Am I the only one who thinks this is the WORST NEX? Their selection, customer service, prices, food court & general atmosphere sucks.

Not the worst, but close. Diego Garcia was worse.

I gave up on military exchanges years ago. Back when I was E-5 and pregnant, I could buy all the Waterford crystal lamps I wanted or needed, but there was no maternity section in the store. I could get made to order custom drapes, but not one dang curtain that fit the base housing kitchen windows. Levis? Nope, but if I wanted to get some jeans with Kenny Rogers face embroidered on the pockets, my husband could spend his days sitting on Kenny Rogers face.

Base exchanges were good when we had little money and needed to put things on lay-away for Christmas, but we didn't fool ourselves that we were getting a better deal there than off base. I've lived on Air Force bases, Navy bases and Army bases and one is as bad as the other. I am of the opinion they cater to retirees, weekend warriors and possibly officers, but not the people who need them most of all.

And Dahlgren is definitely worse than Pax.

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't those military exchanges and commissaries exempt from federal and state taxes?

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't those military exchanges and commissaries exempt from federal and state taxes?

Technically yes. However they charge a 5% surcharge which is sorta like a tax.

Technically yes. However they charge a 5% surcharge which is sorta like a tax.

Right.

I looked up the history of military commissaries at Commissaries.com - Commissary History (http://www.commissaries.com/history.cfm)

"In 1989, Congress directed the Defense Department to conduct a study of the separate military commissary systems. The ensuing report by the Jones Commission (headed by Army Lt. Gen. Donald E. Jones) recommended consolidating the service systems into one agency to improve service and save money. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) was established May 15, 1990, by a memorandum from the deputy secretary of defense."

And:

"Commissaries still sell products at cost as they have since 1825. Today’s customers also pay a 5-percent surcharge, mandated by Congress. The surcharge pays for new stores, as well as renovations of existing facilities. Patrons thus help pay for their commissaries twice - once as taxpayers and once through the surcharge."

I go there for the occasional haircut, adult beverages and stogies. If I really need a specfic item, chances are pretty close to 100% it won't be there.

High employee turnover, too, I've noticed.