Promotional Calendar
ConAgra Foods
is committed to the health and
wellness of our consumers. As one of
North America's favorite food
companies, we recognize that it's
important not only to have tasty meals
that fit busy schedules, but also to
ensure our food solutions are
nutritious.
The Start Making Choices™ program
exemplifies this commitment. Start
Making Choices incorporates flavorful,
convenient, and nutritious ConAgra
Foods products into personalized
nutrition, activity, and well-being
plans that can put people on the road
to a more balanced lifestyle. With
Start Making Choices, we are
demonstrating how healthful foods can
fit into an overall approach to
wellness that is enjoyable, practical,
and achievable.
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This
free online program makes it easy for
people to balance nutrition, activity,
and well-being in their lives. When
members join, they receive:
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www.discountdiapersdirect.com
Find brand name diapers
and wipes online including Huggies, Pampers, Luvs and more.
Deployed
troops' calls home expected to “surge”
DALLAS
–Deployed troops know there’s no better sound than a
loved one’s voice during the holidays. In fact, last year Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and
Sailors deployed in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi
Freedom responded, scooping up almost 80,000 Military
Exchange Global Prepaid Phone cards in November and December
alone, ultimately spending some 23 million minutes on the
phone at telecommunication centers throughout Afghanistan,
Iraq and Kuwait.
To
help keep telecommunication costs low for troops far from
home and provide an affordable avenue for every American to
make a tangible impact on deployed troops’ morale, AAFES’ “Help Our Troops Call Home”
program continues to improve military Families’ quality of
life.
“This
initiative goes far beyond a service member soldiering in
the desert,” said Eaton. “Phone calls home can also impact how a child is doing in school
or even a spouse’s ability to manage the hectic season.
Add it all up and it becomes pretty clear that phone calls
home aren’t just a luxury, they’re a quality of life
issue for the entire Armed Forces community.”
Any
American can help keep military Families connected by logging on to www.aafes.org
or calling 800-527-2345. From there, Global Prepaid Phone
cards can be sent to individual service members (designated
by the sender) or even directed to "any service
member" through various charitable partners.
Since
“Help Our Troops Call Home” began in April 2004, the
American public has placed 131,503 individual orders for
more than 222,000 Military Exchange Global Prepaid phone
cards. More than 24,000 of these orders have been earmarked
for “any service member” and distributed via charities
such as the American Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society,
Fisher House Foundation, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society,
Soldier & Family Assistance Center and USO.
‘Exchange Select’
Quality and Price Registering with Military Families
by Anstey Judd, AAFES
DALLAS
– Military shoppers in search of the best value for their
dollar are increasingly reaching for “private label”
products manufactured under the Exchange Services’
“Exchange Select” brand. The steady demand for
affordably priced, quality products by the military
community continues to drive expansion of the Exchange
Select brand, available exclusively at Navy, Marine and
Coast Guard Exchanges, Veterans Canteen Service locations
and Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) BXs and
PXs.
“We
introduced 67 new ‘Exchange Select’ items in 2006
including value pack diapers and baby wipes, whitening
pre-brush oral rinse and smoking cessation gum,” said
AAFES’ Senior Vice President of Sales Maggie Burgess.
“The entire portfolio now includes 557 unique items, all
priced to deliver substantial savings.”
Whether
shopping for health and beauty care items, household
cleaning and laundry products or even a single-use camera,
Exchange Select products offer quality that is equal to or
better than equivalent national brands at an average savings
of 50 percent.
“Our
Quality Assurance team actively ensures the quality of
‘Exchange Select’ merchandise by visiting suppliers’
plants to verify ‘Good Manufacturing Practices,’ as set
by the Food and Drug Administration as well as other
governing agencies, are used,” said Burgess. “In fact,
all over-the-counter medicines, such as ibuprofen and
acetaminophen, meet FDA established guidelines, which are
the same for ‘Exchange Select’ and national brand
equivalent products.”
Name
brand quality combined with “private label” pricing
continues to attract military shoppers as “Exchange
Select” sales have increased 30 percent since the brand
was first introduced in the summer of 2002. As a result, the
Exchange Services continue to broaden their “private
label” assortment through line extensions in existing
categories and expansion into new programs.
“Exchange
Select” stock assortment additions currently in
development include oatmeal based baby toiletries, women’s
premium triple-blade disposable razors, sugar-free cough
drops, plastic applicator tampons and “custom-size-it”
paper towels.
Cold tastes of home help
deployed troops beat the summer heat
DALLAS
– With temperatures soaring and personnel numbers surging,
troops throughout Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom are
reaching for cool drinks to beat the heat and keep up with
the demanding pace of contingency operations.
“Deployed
Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines need significantly
more to drink than the traditional eight glasses of water a
day,” said Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES)
spokesperson Lt. Col. Dean Thurmond. “In fact, uniformed
personnel serving in the Middle East may need to drink about
50 8-oz. glasses a day. Take it from me, drinking that much
liquid in 24 hours can make even the most regimented person
thirsty for some variety.”
Deployed
troops looking for a change last month made Monster and Red
Bull Energy Drinks two of the three most popular items at 51
BX/PXs scattered throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar,
Kyrgyzstan, Djibouti, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Monster, which came in at number one with troops picking up
357,956 16-oz. cans, was followed by 248,267 bottles of
Green Tea while Red Bull checked in at number three as
205,799 8.3-oz. metallic blue and silver cans were gulped
down in just 30 days.
With
average high temperatures already hovering between 98 and
105, Thurmond said demand for coffee remains surprisingly
strong in exchanges in the Middle East. “Keep in mind,
AAFES isn’t sending your grandpa’s steaming cup of
instant ‘joe’ to the desert. Instead of brewing up pots
of coffee, BX/PXs in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom
depend on large coolers to keep the java ice cold.”
The
exchange service’s coolers earned their keep in April as
BX/PXs downrange moved more than 390 million gallons of
Starbucks Frappuccinos and Doubleshosts as troops “popped
the top” on 131,353 9.5-oz. Vanilla Frappuccinos, 126,662
9.5-oz. Mocha Frappuccinos and 119,963 6.5-oz. Doubleshots.
Any
American can send deployed troops a cool drink this summer,
and skip the more than $30 postage needed to pack and send
four 16-oz. cans to Iraq via Airmail Parcel Post, with a BX/PX
gift certificate that can be redeemed at any AAFES exchange,
including 26 facilities in Iraq alone.
AAFES Delivers Taste of
Home Downrange
“We’ve
done the heavy lifting,” said the AAFES’ Chief of
Contingency Planning Lt. Col. Steven Dean. “Other than
homemade cookies and handwritten letters, almost anything
you would want to pack up and send to a service member far
from home is already on the ground and available at the
exchange.”
Started
soon after programs that allowed the general public to send
mail addressed to "Any Service Member" were
cancelled due to security concerns and transportation
constraints, AAFES’ military gift certificate campaign
allows anyone to make a direct and tangible contribution to
military morale with a gift certificate that can be redeemed
for nearly anything that a specific service member wants.
“Gifts
from the Homefront” can be sent to troops deployed to
Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas by logging on to www.aafes.org
or calling 877-770-4438. From there, “Gifts from the
Homefront” are sent to individual service members
(designated by the purchaser) or distributed to “any
service member” through the Air Force Aid Society,
American Red Cross, Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes,
Fisher House, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Operation
Homefront, Operation Interdependence® or USO.
DALLAS
– It began with the opening of a Burger King at Baghdad
International Airport on June 10, 2003. Little more than a
take-out stand, Iraq’s first Burger King was soon turning
out 5,000 patties a day for a steady line of hungry troops.
With
the opening of the 11th Pizza Hut in Iraq last month, the
Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) now operates
190 Name Brand Fast Food (NBFF) restaurants throughout
Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). In the next
month, AAFES plans to complete a new Burger King at Camp
Bucca in Iraq, build a Starbucks Coffee shop and redesign
the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs with seating at Camp Buehring
and replace Kuwait’s oldest Subway shop with a new modern
facility at Ali Al-Salem AB.
“The
entire dining experience is designed to remind the Soldiers,
Airmen, Marines and Sailors of home,” said AAFES
Contingency Planning Chief Lt. Col. Steven Dean. “From the
aroma of a burger sizzling on the broiler to the smell of
fresh coffee, NBFF has an amazing ability to temporarily
take troops from war zones to comfort zones.”
AAFES’
NBFF operations in Iraq alone have gone from that single
Burger King in 2003 to more than 70 establishments today,
including 12 Subways, 12 Pizza Huts, 10 Burger Kings and
five Taco Bells. From Afghanistan to Qatar to the United
Arab Emirates, troops can also choose from a wide variety of
restaurants such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dairy Queen,
Orange Julius and Hardee’s, among others.
In
addition to the name brand fast food facilities operating in
OEF/OIF, AAFES operates more than 2,000 restaurants
worldwide with an additional 77 locations planned to open in
the next year.
Save Room for the Homemade Cookies When
Supporting Deployed Troops
DALLAS
– Nothing brightens the day of a Soldier, Sailor, Marine
or Airman more than a care package filled with special items
from home. Unfortunately, as the holidays approach and
well-meaning Americans step up troop support efforts, many
of the handwritten cards and homemade cookies take longer to
reach their destinations.
“Ultimately
the boxes of batteries, toothbrushes and shaving cream can
delay some much needed and requested items from friends and
family,” said the Army & Air Force Exchange
Service’s (AAFES’) Senior Enlisted Advisor Chief Master
Sgt. Bryan Eaton. “While any and all support is very much
appreciated, those who choose to ‘support our troops’
this holiday season should consider whether the items they
are collecting and mailing are truly needed.”
Today,
AAFES operates 53 PX/BX facilities throughout Operations
Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. The stock assortment found in
these exchanges varies from location to location, but even
the most basic operation provides access to toiletries,
phone cards and cold drinks.
Any
American can provide these and many more items to deployed
troops by ordering a lightweight “Gift from the
Homefront” gift certificate for less than it costs to send
a 1 lb. package.
With
the PX/BX certificates, available at www.aafes.org
or 877-770-4438, troops can pick up all of the toothpaste,
socks or even Burger King Whoppers they want. “Gifts from
the Homefront” are not only redeemable at exchanges
throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, but can also be used at any
of the 187 name brand fast food outlets AAFES operates in
the contingency theater.
“Exchange
gift certificates provide an affordable and efficient troop
support option that can mitigate the impact America’s
generosity can have on holiday mail from spouses, parents
and friends,” said Eaton. “Speeding delivery of these
critical items is one of the best possible gifts we can send
troops spending the holidays far from home.”
Those
wishing to send "Gifts from the Homefront" can log
on www.aafes.org
or call 877-770-4438. From there, the gift certificates may
be sent to an individual service member (designated by the
purchaser) or distributed to "any service member"
through the Air Force Aid Society, American Red Cross,
Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, Fisher House,
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Operation Homefront,
Operation Interdependence®, Soldier & Family Assistance
Center, USA Cares or USO.
As of Nov. 1, 71,153 “Gifts from the Homefront” gift
certificates have been sent since the inception of the troop
support campaign in March 2003. More than 19,000 of these
have been delivered to service members and their families
via AAFES’ 10 charitable partners.
AAFES Marks Four Years of
Service and Support to American Troops in Iraq
DALLAS
– Armed with little more than backpacks and footlockers
full of energy drinks, protein bars and baby wipes flown
into Iraq aboard a C-130 flying 300 ft. off the ground, two
Americans, Craig Sewell and Dennis Hatcher, launched Army
& Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) “combat retail”
operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 7, 2003. On
that day, AAFES’ first mobile exchange in Iraq was
actually an old Toyota Landcruiser Sewell and Hatcher
commandeered to follow troops patrolling what was previously
an Iraqi airfield south of Baghdad.
“The
environment was very austere,” said Sewell, AAFES’ Vice
President assigned to the Strategic Partnership Directorate.
“While there wasn’t running water or power, and we had
limited shelter, we understood that we were there to provide
service regardless of the conditions. With the battle for
Baghdad still in full swing, and enemies launching multiple
attacks on the airfield during the evening sandstorms, this
was one of the most challenging missions I have supported in
my nearly 30 years of service with the exchange.”
Four
years later, the footlockers, backpacks and even the
Landcruiser have been scrapped in favor of a sophisticated
supply chain that leverages air, ground and sea assets to
deliver the exchange benefit to Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors
and Marines throughout the Operation Iraqi Freedom theater.
This logistics pipeline ensures 26 BX/PX facilities, 24
unit-run exchange operations, 63 name brand fast food
restaurants and hundreds of services, including barber,
beauty and laundry, have the goods needed to deliver a slice
of Americana to troops called to serve far from home.
“AAFES
started with absolutely nothing in Iraq,” said AAFES’
Chief of Contingency Operations Lt. Col. Steven Dean.
“While name brand fast food was just a distant hope on
that April day in 2003, troops deploying today have
convenient access not only to BX/PXs, but also dozens of
recognizable restaurant brands including Burger King, Taco
Bell and Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits.”
Making
sure the food is hot and exchange shelves are stocked is a
force of more than 390 American civilians voluntarily
deployed to Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom at any
given time. These AAFES associates, many of whom have
deployed multiple times, live and work alongside the troops
they serve during 6- to 12-month deployments. Since 9/11,
1,890 of these brave, everyday Americans have voluntarily
left the comforts of their homes and families to extend the
exchange benefit to troops craving a well-deserved taste of
home.
While
long-term, international operations continue in the Middle
East, AAFES is also prepared to support natural disaster and
contingencies closer to home with a fleet of
state-of-the-art mobile retail facilities that come complete
with satellite communications, coolers and built-in
shelving.
Called
Tactical Field Exchange, or TFEs, these units are often the
first resources to be deployed to domestic emergencies.
Staged at various locations throughout the United States,
including AAFES’ sprawling Distribution Center in Waco,
Texas, the TFEs have been redesigned using lessons learned
not only Iraq, but also operations throughout North America
including support of firefighters in Washington State last
summer as well as relief operations in the wake of
Hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005. Armed with the
information that can only be learned in these extreme
conditions, AAFES’ Waco Facilities Management Office was
on the forefront of designing the new TFEs, from the ground
up, to better service the field needs of both troops and
emergency responders.
“They
have everything necessary to be a ‘turn-key’
operation,” said Lt. Col. Dean. “These new TFEs give
AAFES’ Commanding General a 48-hour response capability
for any contingency occurring in the United States. AAFES
has deployed these TFEs to many locations already with
terrific results for our deployed military.”
After
nearly 112 years in military resale it is hard to imagine
there would be much more the Department of Defense’s
oldest and largest exchange service could learn about
retail, but since Sewell and Hatcher ventured out onto
Iraq’s back roads in 2003, the AAFES team has learned more
about its people, services and support than those who
created the exchange service in 1895 could have ever
imagined.
“Our
military and civilian personnel have demonstrated time and
again that they are ready, willing and able to go where the
troops go for as long as America’s Armed Forces are called
to serve in harm’s way,” said AAFES’ Senior Enlisted
Advisor Chief Master Sgt. Bryan Eaton. “These past four
years in Iraq are not only important because of the support
we have delivered to those ‘on the ground,’ but also
troops we will serve in the future because today AAFES is
better prepared than ever before to fulfill its motto, ‘We
Go Where You Go.’”
