Vanguard and Curry Voucher Program

[CAPDCCMOM]

Good Morning All,

Does anyone know if Vanguard will be offering a discount with the Curry Voucher? I went to the Clothing Store, at my local Air Force Base, and was amazed at the price difference. A belt ordered on-line is $16.00, the same one at the Base was $5.95. A flight cap that goes for almost $17 on-line was $10.50. Unfortunately, Vanguard's costs is going to coast us a lot of Cadets IMO.

Thanks

[CAPDCCMOM]

I meant cost us Cadets....Sorry

[LSThiker]

I went to the Clothing Store, at my local Air Force Base, and was amazed at the price difference.

Vanguard = For-Profit business
AAFES = "non-profit" government agency controlled by the DoD

[vorteks]

Get what you can at the PX and use the voucher for the shirt and pants. Times are tough and I would just be thankful for all you get for a $30 annual membership, not the least of which are several airplane flights and some dang good leaderhip training.

[abdsp51]

IIRC Vanguard was setting something up that would provide a blues kit for cadets to get the full impact of the voucher.  At work right now so can't really do much.  But there is a thread on this topic as well.

[PA Guy]

Good Morning All,

Does anyone know if Vanguard will be offering a discount with the Curry Voucher? I went to the Clothing Store, at my local Air Force Base, and was amazed at the price difference. A belt ordered on-line is $16.00, the same one at the Base was $5.95. A flight cap that goes for almost $17 on-line was $10.50. Unfortunately, Vanguard's costs is going to coast us a lot of Cadets IMO.

Thanks

The Vanguard program can't be any worse than the dysfunctional AAFES program. Whenever possible always go to a base clothing sales. For those cadets who can't the Vanguard program will hopefully provide a more timely service than the sporadic service from AAFES.

[abdsp51]

But the voucher is only good at Vanguard.  And they will have a basket set up for the items.

[coudano]

You will often have a hard time finding stuff for REALLY small cadets at AAFES, too.
They are set up for the 18-38 age market, not for 12 year olds.

[PHall]

Big reason for the price difference between Military Clothing Sales and Vanguard.
Clothing Sales can sell the "Issue" uniform items while Vanguard can not.

[CAPDCCMOM]

Checked out Vanguard last night. A flight cap that was $16.80 at the beginning of the month, now over $19.00. Just in time for the Curry Voucher.

Anyone else still think this was a great idea?

[Holding Pattern]

I forgot to ask this... is the curry voucher purchased items CAP property or personal property?

[Ned]

Checked out Vanguard last night. A flight cap that was $16.80 at the beginning of the month, now over $19.00. Just in time for the Curry Voucher.

Anyone else still think this was a great idea?

I do, for one.

Remember, you still have the ability to purchase a flight cap from Air Force Clothing Sales if you are able to do so.  (And it will be significantly cheaper for at least that particular item.) 

The Curry Voucher Program is a significant upgrade from the Free Cadet Uniform Program for several reasons.

First, the FCU simply could not effectively deliver uniforms in less than 8-10 weeks because of the way our friends at Lackland processed our orders.  We worked with them (through CAP-USAF) for years to try to improve service, but because of the AF systems, it simply could not be done without the AF investing many thousands of dollars to upgrade their systems.  Our AF colleagues are gracious, hard working people who genuinely looked for solutions to shorten the delivery times, but it could not be done within realistic constraints.  The CVP will produce near Amazon levels of service on delivery times, getting uniforms to cadets who need them in days rather than months.

Second, uniform money for cadets comes from appropriated dollars.  CAP must continue to be good guardians of tax dollars and it was difficult to justify proving free uniforms that often arrived after new cadets had actually become discouraged and left the program.  Restated, we bought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of uniforms that are sitting in the closets of ex-members.  The CVP will improve that by investing in cadets who have shown dedication to the program by completing the first achievement.

Third, we recognize that VG will need to charge more for MILSPEC AF uniform items than Clothing Sales.  Because they are a business and have expenses that Clothing Sales will never have. (Taxes, etc.)  Complicating this is that Clothing Sales sells "issue items" (DLATS / TISA) items that by law, Vanguard cannot sell.  (Clothing Sales also sells the more expensive versions, just like VG, but VG is always going to be more expensive.)

However, if you can find other sources for MILSPEC AF style uniform items in cadet sizes that are cheaper than VG, you are absolutely free to buy there.  And I would not at all be surprised if there were such vendors out there.  Indeed, feel free to share your finds here and elsewhere.  A little competition never hurt VG.

So, the CVP program represents a significant step forward, and one that we hope will result in measurable increases in first year retention and customer satisfaction.

Keep us honest, and let us know how it is going.  We can always change things as necessary.

Ned Lee
National Cadet Program Manager

[Майор Хаткевич]

Ned,

Can you expand on the "basket" that the voucher will apply to? Is it at least close to $100, as opposed to currently parted out $45 or so on top?

[Holding Pattern]

Checked out Vanguard last night. A flight cap that was $16.80 at the beginning of the month, now over $19.00. Just in time for the Curry Voucher.

Anyone else still think this was a great idea?

Our squadron thinks it is a wonderful idea.

[PA Guy]

Anyone else still think this was a great idea?

Yes, I do. Do you have better viable solution?

[Spam]

Aside from potential price gouging from Vanguard, I think its a good idea generally, since USAF won't (*cannot, due to security issues) allow our cadets easy base access to the AAFES exchanges to purchase allowed uniform components at cost, and since AAFES and CAP and CAP-USAF still have not cared to bother to negotiate an easier access to the online or by-phone system for our cadets to order uniform items at cost. 

(Note: SHAME on us all, from NHQ on down, for focusing on the trivial stuff when our customers (parents of new cadets) need help accessing uniforms and we've not made this an absolute number one priority to lower the barriers for easy uniform procurement at cost).

If Vanguard has recognized that they've now scored a de facto monopoly on uniforms for thousands of CAP cadets, and if they are in fact now bumping their prices by twenty percent or so, then I'm on the verge of being pretty angry, when I have many cadets to equip for encampment and no easy way to do it without extortional cost via a single source.  If there's corroboration on the cost increase alleged here, I'd like to see it.

V/R,
Spam

PS, The answer is not to tell me that "but, we get a great Vanguard rebate to support other cadet activities and pet projects", which is basically akin to saying "we're raising taxes for all to pay for the benefit of a few".

[Spam]

Afterthought reply to myself:

I said from NHQ on down, and I own part of that. For my part, I will be working within my Wing to try to schedule "AAFES days" where I'm going to pick a date monthly to ask for names/info for cadets and their parents/drivers to get on a base access list for my local base to buy items at cost. Yes, this will be a pain in the ass to our Wing admin and likely to the pass office, and I'm likely to get push back. 

The better solution would be, in my view, to break the log jam to allow on line and via phone AAFES ordering, but I haven't seen any indicators that's a priority at a national level.

Ned, is this in work, or even on the radar (web/phone AAFES ordering), either with voucher or without?

Thanks,
Spam

[abdsp51]

Here is a link with information on "Curry Voucher"

http://capmembers.com/cadet_programs/new_cadet_help/curry-blues-vouchers/

[JC004]

It would be nice if it could work for any cadet uniform item, since we can often supply cadets with at least part of the uniform. 

Otherwise, parents get left holding the bag with unnecessary costs. 

Since the voucher doesn't give the cadets a complete uniform, those costs could be covered with squadron-issued items - assisting the cadets who need it most.

[Holding Pattern]

It would be nice if it could work for any cadet uniform item, since we can often supply cadets with at least part of the uniform. 

Otherwise, parents get left holding the bag with unnecessary costs. 

Since the voucher doesn't give the cadets a complete uniform, those costs could be covered with squadron-issued items - assisting the cadets who need it most.

And the squadron can start preparing purchases of items they know can be used across the spectrum without too much sizing considerations (Belts, covers) and make it known to the cadets where to prioritize their purchases.