A Day in the Life of the Uniform Getter

Robert Hartigan · February 13, 2015, 02:51:16 AM

So, I took a vacation day off from work in order to get USAF style uniform items for some of my members. See the other thread about AAFES Telephone Order Help for some details. Let me recount my experience for your amusement.

Tried to order uniforms via telephone with a credit card. No go! AAFES has a policy of not accepting credit cards over the phone now.

Closest Military Clothing Sales Store is at Wright-Patterson AFB. My domicile to WPAFB is 225 miles one way. A few days ago, I reached out to the local CAP squadron commander to get the inside scoop on access to WPAFB. Super quick reply. I was told I only needed my CAP ID and my driver's license. I decided to call Pass & ID this morning just to check the Threat Condition, you know just to make sure everything was ok. Turns out, I needed to be added to the base access control list after all. The Sergeant that answered my questions was nice enough to take my information for the quick background check. She called me back after about hour. Everything checked out fine and she even called the checkpoints (new gate 1A and 12A) off of OH Route 444 to let them know I was coming. 4 hours later I was pulling up to the checkpoint. The Senior Airman at the checkpoint inspected my credentials and quickly waved me through; it was 17 degrees and windy.

Made my way to the store. They were out of a lot of the basics. Seemed like the standard answer to out-of-stock items was ordering them and waiting for a call when they came in. Gathered all the uniform items I could find and proceeded to check out.

I figured missing items could be ordered and shipped. Nope! Policy prevents the store manager from charging for an item, ordering it and having it shipped. In store pick up only. I asked about mail order? Mail order works, but only if the purchaser can be verified in DEERS and a money order is used. I was also told by one of the other customers standing in line that your order total has to match the current prices, if there is a price change or an error of any kind the order doesn't ship. He said he is still waiting on return of his money order.

The manager offered to help me order things online at the store -- but CAP members are not in DEERS so, back to online ordering not working for me; just when I thought I had the system worked out.

I opted to order the out of stock items and plan for a return trip to get them!

Walked out the door with about $1000 worth of uniform items. Got in the car. Checked email and voicemails. While I was in the store, I got a message from National HQ that they have worked out some sort of arrangement with AAFES and asked me to beta test it for them. GRRRR! mother, son of a, err, #+%¥£! I took a vacation day for this and drove through a snow storm in the Cuyahoga Valley to get here! Am I on some sort of hidden camera show?

Highlight of the day then became a Chick-Fil-A spicy chicken sandwich and a cherry Coke on the way home.

Totals for the day: One vacation day, 467 miles, $41 in gas, $7 for lunch, too much for a horrible cup of coffee at Starbucks and 8 hours 17 minutes of podcasts!

LSThiker · February 13, 2015, 03:00:10 AM

So moral of the story is that before driving 450 miles, call NHQ to see if they are working on the solution to the problem that forced you to drive 450 miles?

At least everyone was nice and professional. For me, driving that distance or longer is relaxing. So I love making those trips.

Did you try the solution yet? If so, did it work?

Robert Hartigan · February 13, 2015, 03:10:21 AM

I didn't have a lot a faith in a quick solution to the credit card problem. Sort of like wishing in one hand...

After looking at the proposed process, I am not confident in it working. We will see? I will try it tomorrow.

Eclipse · February 13, 2015, 03:24:12 AM

Beta testing a process - CAP does that for uniform sales but not for its own online systems.

GroundHawg · February 13, 2015, 04:11:28 AM

You should have went to the thrift shop on base while you were there. I have had great luck in the past there getting items at almost criminal prices. Also, there is an alterations shop right off base called Tulays that sells a lot of stuff that people defaulted on and never picked up.

THRAWN · February 13, 2015, 11:52:21 AM

"They were out of a lot of the basics"

This sentence sums up the reasons that I could never understand the CAP member's unquenchable desire to shop at MCSS. They have nothing there that you cannot get outside the fence and usually cheaper, and with much less money spent on gas....

NIN · February 13, 2015, 12:09:50 PM

I was chatting with my squadron commander last night about going to the clothing sales store at the local AFB. He had said that he went down there a year or so ago, and it was a complete rigmarole to get access to the base. ( much like you described, access-list, thumb print, etc.)

And then he could not find the clothing sales store. What he did find was a disused corner of the BX with no BDUs ( no surprise there ) and very little in the way of blues pieces.

I think I might perform a little reconnaissance mission in the next month or so as a pre cursor to a unit run down there before encampment in May/June.

It has been at least 10 years since I've been to that particular base. My former unit Supply Officer had a nice pipeline established with the people at the thrift store. She was literally at the top of their call sheet when they got cadet size blues, or any BDUs.

Robert Hartigan · February 13, 2015, 06:32:24 PM

New ordering solution does not work!

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this - you haven't."
― Thomas A. Edison

LTC Don · February 13, 2015, 08:28:57 PM

Blues (and related accessories) have been a low-priority item for a number of years, since the military went on a 'war-footing' due to 9-11. There was some discussion about reversing the trend and getting back to the blues as a work uniform, but who knows how long it will take for stocks to recover, if ever.

Eclipse · February 13, 2015, 11:03:54 PM

Between Sept 2008 and Sept 2012, USAF personnel were required to wear blues on Mondays unless mission
needs dictated another uniform. In late 2008-early 2009 there was a run on blues parts through AAFES and MCSS.

In 2012 it was changed to leave the decision to the local commnaders, and by 2013, some were bringing blues
back.

With all the discuss of a "peacetime military" floating around, one could certainly guess there will
be a return to blues for more facilities.

PHall · February 14, 2015, 01:06:43 AM

I don't see any big return to wearing blues for the Air Force. 90% of the people in the Air Force wear a uniform other then blues as their "duty uniform".
Mostly it's ABU's but you also flyers/missile people in flight suits. Medical people wearing scrubs and "maybe" the medical whites.
About the only people you can bet on wearing blues everyday are Recruiters and people working in offices at higher headquarters.

Private Investigator · February 14, 2015, 08:17:41 PM

Quote from: PHall on February 14, 2015, 01:06:43 AM
I don't see any big return to wearing blues for the Air Force. 90% of the people in the Air Force wear a uniform other then blues as their "duty uniform".
Mostly it's ABU's but you also flyers/missile people in flight suits. Medical people wearing scrubs and "maybe" the medical whites.
About the only people you can bet on wearing blues everyday are Recruiters and people working in offices at higher headquarters.

Very good point. I am just outside of a USAF base and I never see anyone in blues.

Al Sayre · February 15, 2015, 04:32:45 AM

Frankly, unless you spend your entire day in an air-conditioned office, Service or Service Dress aka Class A /Class B uniforms are a PITA. When I was in the Navy I had to replace my non-working uniforms on a regular basis due to various stains like paint, grease and coffee that you pick up in a non-office environment...