Navy Exchange: You Serve, You Save

Anchored in Service

80 Years of NEXCOM

For 250 years, the United States Navy has forged a legacy as the strongest sea fighting force in the world. As we honor this historic milestone, we also proudly mark the 80th anniversary of NEXCOM and its mission to serve those who serve. Our legacy is built on a commitment to the warfighter, ensuring they have the unparalleled support they deserve both at home and abroad. It’s our privilege to remain Anchored in Service to you—Then. Now. Always.

Join the Festivities

Check Out These Upcoming Events

Strides of Honor In-Person 5K

May 16, 2026
Race begins at 9am
JEB Little Creek-Fort Story

In recognition of Armed Forces Day, join your NEX and JEB Little Creek MWR Fitness for our Strides of Honor 5K on May 16! Participants will receive free run t-shirt and finisher’s medal. After crossing the finish line enjoy free food and fun for the family!

Strides of Honor Virtual 5K

May 16, 2026 – May 23, 2026
Anywhere in the World

In celebration of Armed Forces Day, join us for our annual Strides of Honor Virtual 5K. Run, walk, hike, bike, roll or stroll the 3.1 miles from anywhere in the world! The first 2,000 registered participants will receive a FREE finisher’s medal.

Muffins for Mom

May 9, 2026
Time will vary per location
Participating NEX Locations

Celebrate Mother’s Day weekend at your local NEX! Kids are invited to bring Mom, Grandma, Aunt, or other special person on Saturday, May 9th for muffins and other family-friendly activities!

LEARN MORE

Coming soon!

More NEXCOM events coming soon! Click below to see more Navy 250 related events.

NAVY 250 EVENTS

Reasons to

Shop Your Nex

Never Pay Sales Tax

You’ve earned this benefit—now maximize it! In store and online, shop tax-free every day.

Price Match Guarantee

Our price match policy means the NEX will match any retailer’s advertised price!

Relax & Recharge

Meet up with friends, enjoy free Wi-Fi, or try the newest technology at your NEX. Plus, many stores have a dedicated area to hang out while charging electronics.

Save on Brands You Love

We are constantly searching for the hottest trends from brands you love. We partner with the most iconic brands to bring our deserving military families tax-free exclusive savings that can’t be found at other retailers.

Your One-Stop Shop

We offer the best brand names in beauty, apparel, jewelry, footwear, home goods, appliances, furniture, and more! The NEX also provides services including haircuts, car care centers and gas stations, food outlets, and more.

Free Shipping, Free Returns

We deliver right to your door. Receive free standard shipping when you spend $49.95 or more, or when you use your MILITARY STAR card. In store returns are fast and easy and receive free returns with online orders.

DONT FORGET

To Show Your Navy Pride

250 Gear

SHOP NOW

Navy Pride

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NAVY

DEFINING MOMENTS IN NEXCOM'S HISTORY

1896 - First Canteen

The first canteen was established on the USS Indiana and sold only beer. These small stores, known as slop chests, were established with funds contributed by the crew, and the profits were used for Morale, Welfare and Recreational purposes.

USS Indiana in 1896

1909 - Naval Appropriations Act

The Naval Appropriations Act gave legal status to ship’s stores and commissary stores and directed they operate strictly on a not-for-profit basis. In the same year, the first ship’s stores were established by a general order of the Secretary of the Navy.

Early Canteen Essentials

1929 - Ship's Stores

The operation of ship’s stores was made mandatory on ships having supply officers as department heads. Additionally, service stores began operating ashore and offered many afloat conveniences, including laundry, barber shop, and tailoring.

USN Ship's Store Color Postcard

1944 - Ship's Store Division

Ship’s stores and service stores operated side by side until a plan was approved to merge the two. The Bureau of Supplies and Accounts established the Ship’s Store Division. It supervised the stores and established operational guidelines.

USS Denver Ship’s Store

1945 - Capt. W.H. Bingham

Sailors could eat ice cream at a soda fountain operated by their ship’s store and candy bars were just a nickel. Capt. W.H. Bingham was appointed to head a committee to develop detailed plans for the establishment of a central retail organization.

BB44 USS California During WW2

1946 - Navy Ship’s Store Office

April 1 - The Navy Ship’s Store Office (NSSO) was officially established based on the Bingham Committee’s recommendation, responsible for oversight of the Navy ship’s stores ashore, commissary stores, and ship’s service stores. Then Capt. T.L. Becknell Jr., Supply Corps, USN served as the first Officer in Charge of NSSO.

Rear Admiral T.L. Becknell

1950 - The Navy Ship’s Store Office

The Navy Ship’s Store Office assumed control of approximately 60 Military Sea Transportation Service exchanges. MSTS vessels regularly ferried service members and their families to and from overseas duty stations and offered a wide selection merchandise and services.

Navy CPO and Family Debarks in NYC from Germany

1955 - The Navy Ship’s Store Office

The Navy Ship’s Store Office adopted the retail trend of self-service, which increased customer convenience, store traffic and sales. Due to the Korean War, the national average cost of gasoline was about $0.29 per gallon, with some places giving .05 discounts for pumping your own.

NEX Service Station in Mayport, Florida

1955 - Commissary Store Division

The Navy Ship’s Store Office officially established a Commissary Store Division. Its primary mission was to provide military personnel with essential food items at the lowest cost. The Commissary Division Bakery could produce 5,000 loaves of bread in eight hours.

CSC (Commissaryman Chief Petty Officer) E. F. Andrews USN

1956 - Worldwide Growth

Ten years after its establishment, the Navy Ship’s Store Office marked worldwide growth, with sales of over $2 billion and $126 million in recreation funds distributed. The rate of babies born to Navy parents also increased the same year, with 1,000 born each week!

All Hands Magazine Cover, Special Issue

1958 - Navy Exchanges

Streamlining support for sailors and their families, the Secretary of the Navy directed a shift: all ashore stores with grocery sections would be commissaries focused on providing food at the lowest prices and operate with government appropriated funds. Navy Exchanges carried retail merchandise and operated with non-appropriated funds.

NEX in Brooklyn, New York

1960 - The Uniform Shop

The Navy Ship’s Store Office assumed control of the Naval Uniform Shop in 1960, which at the time was the sole provider of enlisted uniforms. This acquisition brought a 40-year-old operation, previously funded through appropriations, under the purview of the Ship's Store Office. The Uniform Shop encompassed a manufacturing facility, a mail-order department, and a retail store serving the immediate vicinity. Notably, the Naval Uniform Shop also supplied NEX uniform outlets catering to officers and chiefs exclusively. Later in the decade, the first Navy Uniform Shop for women opened in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1966.

Uniform Shop Fitting Women, Rhode Island 1966

1961 - Enlisted Men’s Clubs

The scope of the Navy Ship’s Store Office broadened with the assumption of management control and technical guidance over all Enlisted Men’s clubs (EMs). Throughout the 1960s, the office implemented a film program within these clubs and facilitated performances by American entertainers for personnel stationed overseas. This increased emphasis on entertainment, combined with a renewed focus on facility renovations and management practices, contributed to notable increases in sales and earnings for the Navy Exchange system.

Enlisted Men’s Club, Taiwan 1963

1964 - Navy Guest House Program

Recognizing the challenges of securing suitable off-base lodging, the Navy Exchange established the Navy Guest House Program. This initiative involved the acquisition of existing guest houses as well as hotels and motels to provide temporary housing for authorized patrons at installations where convenient, adequate, and reasonably priced alternatives were scarce. The inaugural Guest House, featuring 25 rooms, opened at the former Mitchel Field Air Force Base in Meadow, New York.

Navy Exchange Motel, Subic Bay 1967

1969 - Navy Lodge Program

While the world watched Navy astronauts Cmdr. Charles Conrad, Jr. and Cmdr. Alan L. Bean walk on the moon during the Apollo 12 mission, the Navy was also focused on the critical needs of its personnel. In 1969, responding to a shortage of military housing, the Navy Ship’s Store Office joined forces with the Bureau of Naval Personnel and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command to build affordable temporary lodging – marking the start of the Navy Lodge Program. That same year, the organization was renamed the Navy Resale System Office to better reflect its expanding role, and it achieved its first $1 billion in revenue, ranking it among the top 25 retail organizations in the U.S.

Early Promotional Picture of Navy Lodge Guest Room

1970 - Navy Lodge Program

The Secretary of the Navy officially gave the green light in 1970 for the Navy Lodge Program. The first locations to break ground were Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Following the opening of the Navy Lodges, construction of 11 more locations quickly followed. Occupancy rates climbed and, as a result, the Assistant Secretary of Defense authorized construction of an additional 175 family units.

Navy Lodge Little Creek, Virginia

1973 - Z-grams

Soon after Adm. Elmo Zumwalt became the Chief of Naval Operations, he started issuing his famous “Z-grams” containing initiatives that he thought would help improve the Navy’s image. He reasoned that relaxing grooming policies, allowing longer hair, beards and sideburns, would boost recruitment and retention. By 1973, two professional grooming specialists were hired to be advisors as NEX Barber & Beauty Shops entered the “Age of Aquarius” and traditional haircutting made way for more modern styles.

Adm. Zumwalt, CNO, at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan

1976 - Military Construction Authorization Act

Commissaries received a significant boost from the Department of Defense, which authorized an increase in customer surcharge from 1 to 2% of sales. The additional revenue was designated for construction and renovation projects. In 1976, this effort was further advanced by the Military Construction Authorization Act, a law that permitted commissary store funds to be used for construction projects within the U.S. The first project completed as a result of these changes was a new 41,000 sq. ft. facility at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.

GITMO Commissary

1977 - One-Stop Shop

The year 1977 marked a pivotal year for the NEX and the Sailors it served. The NEX became the official, one-stop shop for all Navy uniforms just as the fleet celebrated the authorized return of its iconic bell-bottom trousers. In a forward-thinking move, the NEX also looked to the future of the force, fast-tracking the procurement of maternity uniforms to ensure they were readily available by the start of 1978.

News clippings highlighting USN uniform updates

1979 - Navy Clothing & Textile Research Facility

The Navy Resale System Office was renamed the Navy Resale and Services Support Office in 1979 and the title of the Officer in Command was changed from Commanding Officer to Commander. These changes reflected the organization’s expanded scope and additional responsibilities that included the Navy Clothing & Textile Research Facility in Natick, Massachusetts.

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