It was announced this week that AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service) would be partnering with Disney to bring “Disney at the Exchange” to military installations worldwide. While it won’t bring the wide assortment of merchandise JC Penny currently offers at their in-store Disney shop at select locations, Disney at the Exchange serves to bring greater tax free purchase ability to service members (active duty and retired) and their families who currently don’t have easy access to the brand.
AAFES post and base exchanges are located on military installations and can only be accessed by military ID card holders. AAFES serves as an additional government benefit for service members and their families and provides tax free shopping for goods and services.
AAFES won’t have the ability to sell official park merchandise. They instead will focus on official programming merchandise and licensed Disney products, including Star Wars and Marvel.
As a military family ourselves, and currently stationed at US Army Garrison Tower Barracks in Grafenwöhr, Germany, we have missed having ready access to popular Disney products. We purchase items from the Disney Store at least monthly, and the shipping costs we pay add up quickly.
This marks the second partnership in which Disney has come together with AAFES to reach the military community. It can take weeks, or even months, for first run movies to reach overseas military movie theaters. In this special partnership, Disney allows overseas AAFES movie theaters to show Disney movies the day they open stateside or when they open in that installation’s host nation, whichever comes first. Additionally, Disney has continued to offer substantial discounts on Disney Parks hotel stays and park tickets, military discount fares on select Disney cruises, and a corporate wide veteran hiring preference through their Heros Work Here program.
11 Disney at the Exchange locations are planned to be open by the end of this week. Most other AFFES locations will see their locations open by the end of May.
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