Thousands of veterans will be eligible to shop online at military exchange websites starting on 11 November 2017, thanks to a policy change by the Defense Department.
The initiative, which was first announced in January 2017, will apply to veterans who have received honorable discharges and can verify their status by using the website VetVerify.org.
After being verified, participants will be eligible once the program launches to shop tax-free at any of the four sites operated by the Army & Air Force Exchange Service: MyNavyExchange.com, MyMCX.com, ShopCGX.com, and www.ShopMyExchange.com. (However, they will remain ineligible to shop inside physical exchange locations.
About 13 million veterans are reportedly potentially qualified to make use of the online program.
Chief executive Tom Shull said:
The intent is to really beat Amazon at their game because we have locations literally on the installations. We’re leaning toward not just ship-from-store but pick-up-from-store and eventually deliver-from-store.
As of 10 July 2017 the site had reportedly received more than 95,000 verification requests. A U.S. Army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Paul Haverstick, told us on 26 July 2017, that the number of requests had grown to 260,000 with 120,000 applicants verified in advance of the initiative's Veterans Day launch.