Navy Exchange

Last updated
Navy Exchange
Company typeFederal agency
Industry Retail
Founded Brooklyn, New York (1946)
Headquarters Virginia Beach, Virginia
Number of locations
300+
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
R. Adm. (Ret.) Robert J. Bianchi (CEO)
Products Discount department store, superstore
RevenueIncrease2.svg $3.2 billion (2014)
Number of employees
14,000
Parent Naval Supply Systems Command
Website mynavyexchange.com

Navy Exchange is a retail store chain owned and operated by the United States Navy under the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), part of the Naval Supply Systems Command. The Navy Exchange offers goods and services to active military, retirees, and certain civilians on Navy installations in the United States, overseas Navy bases, and aboard Navy ships. The Navy Exchange is a type of base exchange, but is separate from the others (Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), Marine Corps Exchange, and Coast Guard Exchange). [1]

Contents

History

The beginnings of the Navy Exchange, referred to by Sailors as the "NEX," started in the 1800s, when enterprising citizens would greet a Navy ship coming into port by sailing out to meet it in what were called "bumboats." These merchants would sell goods to Sailors, often at inflated prices and reportedly shoddy quality.

In 1896, a "Canteen" was opened on the USS Indiana, purportedly to help keep the Sailors' money on the ship, and to ensure that they were receiving a fair deal. The Naval Appropriations Act of March 3, 1909 established the first official stores and Commissaries on ships. This pressure on bumboat operators caused some to change tactics, and begin offering services, such as haircuts and shoe repair, to sailors. This led to a separate type of retail operation, a "ship services store," to be created aboard naval vessels. The two types of retail outlets were later combined to increase efficiency and save space.

As retail options on ships grew, so did their shore-side counterparts. In 1946, a committee, headed by Captain Wheelock H. Bingham, recommended that the shore-side retail operations be rolled into the same bureau as the ship-based retail locations. In 1946, these recommendations led to the creation of the Navy Ship's Store Office, the precursor to the modern Navy Exchange. [2]

Today, the Navy Exchange operates much like many other major retailers, selling goods and clothing, as well as providing services such as barbering, floral arrangement, and laundry (depending on location). Most Navy Exchanges are located on military bases, though some lease private buildings, while others, called "Ship's Stores," operate on Navy vessels such as Aircraft Carriers.

NEXCOM, the Navy Exchange Service Command, operates multiple business lines, including Navy Exchange Retail Stores, Navy Lodge Hotels, the Navy Uniform Project Management Office (UPMO), Navy Clothing Textile and Research Facility (NCTRF), the Ship's Stores Program, and the Telecommunications Program Office (TPO).

On January 13 2017, the Department of Defense announced that all honorably discharged Veterans would be eligible to shop tax-free online Military Exchanges starting November 11, 2017. [3] The expanded benefit is expected to make online Exchange privileges available to as many as 13 million Veterans. [4] Six-months later, the Military Exchanges launched VetVerify.org, an online service where Veterans can verify their eligibility to shop online Exchanges, on June 5, 2017. It was concurrently announced that some Veterans who register would be selected to shop ahead of the November 11 launch as beta testers. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Navy</span> Naval warfare force of the United Kingdom

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force and a component of His Majesty's Naval Service. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shopping</span> Buying goods

Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A typology of shopper types has been developed by scholars which identifies one group of shoppers as recreational shoppers, that is, those who enjoy shopping and view it as a leisure activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes</span> Company serving the British Armed Forces

The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes is a company created by the British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs clubhouses, bars, shops, supermarkets, launderettes, restaurants, cafés and other facilities on most British military bases and also canteens on board Royal Navy ships. Commissioned officers are not usually supposed to use the NAAFI clubs and bars, since their messes provide these facilities and their entry, except on official business, is considered to be an intrusion into junior ranks' private lives.

A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a command center, training ground or proving ground. In most cases, military bases rely on outside help to operate. However, certain complex bases are able to endure on their own for long periods because they are able to provide food, water, and other necessities for their inhabitants while under siege. Bases for military aviation are called military air bases, or simply "air bases". Bases for military ships are called naval bases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destroyers-for-bases deal</span> 1940 agreement between the US and UK

The destroyers-for-bases deal was an agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on September 2, 1940, according to which 50 Caldwell, Wickes, and Clemson-class US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the US Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Station Norfolk</span> United States Navy base in Virginia

Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about 4 miles (6.4 km) of waterfront space and 11 miles (18 km) of pier and wharf space of the Hampton Roads peninsula known as Sewell's Point. It is the world's largest naval station, with the largest concentration of U.S. Navy forces through 75 ships alongside 14 piers and with 134 aircraft and 11 aircraft hangars at the adjacently operated Chambers Field. Port Services controls more than 3,100 ships' movements annually as they arrive and depart their berths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Station Everett</span> Military installation in Everett, Washington

Naval Station Everett is a military installation located in the city of Everett, Washington, 25 miles (40 km) north of Seattle. The naval station, located on the city's waterfront on the northeastern end of Puget Sound, was designed as a homeport for a US Navy carrier strike group and opened in 1994. A separate Navy Support Complex is located in Smokey Point, 11 miles (18 km) north of Everett near Marysville, and houses a commissary, Navy Exchange, a college and other services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defense Commissary Agency</span> Agency of the United States Department of Defense

The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), headquartered at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia, is an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) that operates nearly 240 commissaries worldwide. American military commissaries sell groceries and household goods to active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and retired members of all eight uniformed services of the United States and eligible members of their families at cost plus surcharge, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars compared to civilian supermarkets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army & Air Force Exchange Service</span> American military retail exchange service

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service provides goods and services at U.S. Army and Air Force installations worldwide, operating department stores, convenience stores, restaurants, military clothing stores, theaters and more across 50 U.S. states and more than 30 countries. The Exchange is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and its director/chief executive officer is Tom Shull. The largest of the Department of Defense's exchange services, it is No. 54 on the National Retail Federation's Top 100 Retailers list.

An exchange is a type of retail store found on United States military installations worldwide. Originally akin to trading posts, they now resemble contemporary department stores or strip malls. Exact terminology varies by armed service; some examples include base exchange (BX), and post exchange (PX), and there are more specific terms for subtypes of exchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auxiliary ship</span> Type of naval ship

An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provincial Marine</span> North American inland coastal protection service 1796–1910

Provincial Marine was a coastal protection service in charge of the waters in the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and parts of Lake Champlain under British control. While ships of the Provincial Marine were designated HMS, they were operated in more of a coast guard manner than as a full-fledged navy. Operations were maintained and staffed by the Royal Navy. Most ships of the Provincial Marine were built on the Great Lakes.

HMAS <i>Matafele</i>

HMAS Matafele was a small cargo and passenger vessel which was operated by Burns Philp from 1938 to 1942 and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1943 until she was lost with all of her crew as a result of an accident in June 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Supply Systems Command</span> One of the five "systems commands" of the United States Navy

The Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) serves as the supply command for the United States Navy for providing supplies, services, and support to both the Navy and the United States Marine Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy</span> Maritime service branch of the U.S. military

The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of its active battle fleet alone exceeding the next 13 navies combined, including 11 allies or partner nations of the U.S. as of 2009. It has the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with 11 in service, 1 undergoing trials, two new carriers under construction, and six other carriers planned as of 2024. With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve, the U.S. Navy is the third largest of the United States military service branches in terms of personnel. It has 299 deployable combat vessels and about 4,012 operational aircraft as of July 18, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Boston Naval Annex</span>

The South Boston Naval Annex was a 167-acre (68 ha) United States Navy shipyard annex located in South Boston. It was the annex of the Boston Navy Yard, and was operational from the 1920 to 1974, when it was closed along with the main shipyard. The annex is also home to Dry Dock Number 3, one of the largest dry docks on the East Coast. Most of the former annex site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.

The Naval Supply Systems Command Business Systems Center designs, develops, maintains, integrates, and implements business systems for the United States Navy, United States Department of Defense, joint service, and other federal agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Master-at-arms (United States Navy)</span> Military unit

The Master-at-Arms (MA) rating is responsible for law enforcement and force protection in the United States Navy—equivalent to the United States Army Military Police, the United States Marine Corps Military Police, the United States Air Force Security Forces, and the United States Coast Guard's Maritime Law Enforcement Specialist. It is one of the oldest ratings in the United States Navy, having been recognized since the inception of the U.S. Navy.

VetVerify.org is a shared online service of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, the Navy Exchange Service Command, the Marine Corps Exchange and the Coast Guard Exchange. Its sole purpose is to verify eligibility for the veterans online shopping benefit, a 2017 expansion of online military exchange shopping privileges to honorably discharged Veterans.

The retail format influences the consumer's store choice and addresses the consumer's expectations. At its most basic level, a retail format is a simple marketplace, that is; a location where goods and services are exchanged. In some parts of the world, the retail sector is still dominated by small family-run stores, but large retail chains are increasingly dominating the sector, because they can exert considerable buying power and pass on the savings in the form of lower prices. Many of these large retail chains also produce their own private labels which compete alongside manufacturer brands. Considerable consolidation of retail stores has changed the retail landscape, transferring power away from wholesalers and into the hands of the large retail chains.

References

  1. Sturkie, Kristin. "Navy Exchange System Celebrates Its 65th Anniversary". navy.mil. U.S. Navy. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  2. "Navy Exchange Service Command History". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  3. "DoD to Open Online Exchange Shopping to Veterans". defense.gov. January 13, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  4. "Veterans can register now for chance at early access to online Military Exchange Shopping". MilitaryTimes.com. June 5, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  5. "Veterans can register now for chance at early access to online military Exchange shopping". MilitaryTimes.com. June 5, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.