MANNHEIM, Germany -- As part of U.S. Army Garrison Baden-Württemberg's ongoing transformation efforts, the Self Service Supply Center in Bldg. 1536 on Spinelli Barracks here permanently closed its doors Oct. 12.
"Other stores in Europe are closing as part of a USAREUR [U.S. Army Europe]- directed initiative to provide SSSC items as an online ordering service with free delivery to the customers," said Tony Cross, the SSSC redesign project lead.
SSSC are stores where Government Purchase Card holders can buy office supplies, cleaning materials, computer accessories and other items needed on a day-to-day basis and during pre-and-post deployment operations, Cross said.
Current SSSC closures throughout the Army will help save taxpayers about $3 to $4 million annually in operating costs, with about $1.5 million of that in U.S. Army Europe alone, Cross said.
An estimated 1200 GPC customers (both Air Force and Army) across Europe can now purchase directly from The Exchange's -- also known as the Army and Air Force Exchange Service --Warehouse Ordering Web System, which is the preferred method, Cross said.
The Kaiserslautern SSSC, the largest within Europe, is expected to remain open through 2013, and will be the last to close, said Charles St. John, Acting Director of Logistics for USAG Baden-Württemberg.
It is located on the Army Depot Kaiserslautern and is open 7:30-11:15 a.m. and 12:30-3 p.m. Monday-Friday.
"The online orders are filled from stock at The Exchange distribution center in Giessen and then
delivered to an Exchange retail outlet (a base or post exchange) near[est] the person that placed the online order," Cross said.
Because an Exchange or Shoppette exists at nearly every military installation, Cross said using the Exchange distribution operations was an easy solution.
SSSC purchases "have little or nothing to do with Exchange stores themselves. We were able to take the orders online and piggyback off that distribution process, and because there is always room at the back of the truck, the order can be delivered right to the front door," he added. If the order is delivered to the front door but the GPC holder is not in the office, he or she can later pick up their items at the closest Exchange store.
And with a certain portion of Exchanges' fees going back into Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, "it's a pretty big win-win," Cross added.
The push to move to website-only ordering versus a brick and mortar store is not new. After a few rough starts, Cross said a streamlined process not unlike the one Amazon.com uses will be in place by summer 2013. There, customers will be able to log on, pay online and decide the best shipping method or carrier, he added.
"We've come a long way with technology, and it's more possible now than it was in the past. The military likes standardization," Cross said.
Cross said the ultimate goal is to have one catalog and one website for customers outside the continental United States, so when a GPC holder moves, he or she will know how to order.
"Please start using the web-based process now," St. John said. "Get familiar with it … because now is the time to learn it, while folks are still here to help you use it."
GPC holders can register for accounts at https://partners.aafes.com/epol/login.aspx and can
then request access by completing a customer access form, found under the "SSSC training and access tab,"at https://extranet.g4.hqusareur.army.mil/pubs/listfiles.aspx?storefront=sands.
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