The Defense Commissary Agency is forming a new approach to calculating customers’ savings, aligning it more closely with private-sector practice, according to a Defense Department news release issued Aug. 19.

This better reflects what patrons experience daily with the products they routinely buy in the geographic regions in which they routinely shop, DeCA officials said.

“We hear from our military families that they sometimes find lower prices on selected items outside the gate,” said Joseph H. Jeu, DeCA’s director and CEO. “For the first time through this new approach, we will compare our prices with local grocers on a more frequent basis to better inform our customers of potential cost savings over stores in their nearby community.”

Jeu added: “Our approach to calculating savings will not impact the prices our customers pay or the dollar benefit that they receive. There will be no change to their out-of-pocket expense.”

Through this improved process, officials said, DeCA will calculate and monitor patron savings more frequently than the current practice. Prices will be compared with actual prices at local competitors surrounding each commissary, as well, using a market basket of products that reflect what patrons normally purchase.

For more information on DeCA’s new approach to calculating patron savings, go to detailed Transformation FAQs.