New troop store in August

“We are always evolving to meet our customers’ need and we will continue doing that,” said Donald Basil, general manager of the Saipan troop store, who is joined in the photo by Linda Aquino, Josephine Palacios, and Joey Pangelinan. (BEA CABRERA)

A new troop store will soon rise in Puerto Rico, adjacent to where the troop store is now located.

The new Army and Air Force Exchange Service was announced at a town hall meeting last June 9, 2017, at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center.

“We are excited we are able to bring something new to the Saipan community who has always been behind us,” said Donald Basil, general manager of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service on Saipan.

The new facility will officially open on Aug. 17, 2017, at 11m.

The new store will maintain current products that customers patronize and will expand its offered products.

“The major change is the size. The new facility is almost double of the current store. A new store is being built and the current store will turn into a warehouse. We also updated the design so that it will look modern,” said Basil.

“We will be bringing in products that we don’t have right now and we will be expanding on some categories.”

Basil acknowledged that Saipan is “very unique.”

“We sell products on island that is not available in your regular troop store. A regular troop store just sells the basics, whereas on island, in addition to the products one will find in a regular troop store, we sell items like lawnmowers, outdoor living supplies, appliances, to name a few,” Basil added.

He pointed out that traditional troop stores don’t carry nearly 75 percent of the items that are available at the Saipan troop store.

The new store will also expand the service they provide loyal customers.

“An exciting thing is that we will be bringing ‘snack avenue’ that will have hot items like hotdogs, tornadoes, and roller bites. We will utilize space by establishing two restaurants inside the store that will sell deli express sandwiches, coffee, slushies, and cold beer.”

Gregorio Castro, a retired U.S. Army veteran who served in the Army for 20 years, said, “The new service means a lot. It gives is a better quality of life. It’s a blessing to the retirees because we served this country and we just want to make sure that we enjoy the privileges.”

Basil reiterated that their prizes will not go up. “Our prizes do not increase because we build stores. We have one pricing system and that system is followed everywhere,” he said.

However, the market of the new store is still limited to members of the U.S. military and their families.

“Patronage control fall under the command. The store was established for the benefit of our soldiers. It is a privilege. Those of you who have the privilege, protect it and that is what it’s all about: being truthful and doing the right thing. If you are found misusing it, it may be taken away from you.”

Currently, the Alcohol, Beverage and Tobacco Division of the Department of Commerce monitors products that are bought from the troop store at a lower price and eventually sold to outside stores with a big mark up.

“I am aware of that. However it is out of our control. The responsibility of my staff and I is to make sure that everyone we are selling to has a valid I.D. card. Once we pass that, part of what happens after that is beyond our control.”