Long time commissary worker strives to make Laughlin’s better

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Blake Mize
  • 47th Flying Training Wing, public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A long time member of the Air Force family is doing his best to provide Laughlin with the best possible facility at which to shop.

Manuel Othon, Laughlin's acting commissary director, has been here since Oct. 16 filling in until the commissary's new full-time director, Buddy Kolath, arrives. Although he will be departing Dec. 30, Othon says his goal while at Laughlin has been to make sure the military members and their families are well taken care of.

"It's my job to serve the military through the commissaries and provide the best possible service that we can," said Othon.

In the short time since he arrived, Othon said he has made some changes to insure that Laughlin's commissary carries items that the members here would want and need. Military commissaries are classified on a scale from K-1 to K-5. Since Laughlin's store is classified as a K-1 store, meaning it is very small by comparison, providing a large variety for Laughlin's members to choose from can be a challenge. However, Othon said he has attempted to meet that challenge in his short time here.

"I looked at some items that I thought would move well that were not classified for this store and brought some of those items in," Othon said.

Othon, who has worked in and around military commissaries for more than 27 years, also said some cosmetic changes were made when he arrived.

"I like to be out on the sales floor and if I see something that is not right or doesn't look appealing, then I know that's the way a customer would see it so I try to get it fixed," he said.

In addition to the obvious benefit of its convenience to all base residents, Othon said there is a practicality to shopping at commissaries that cannot be ignored.

"There is a 30 percent or better savings for those who use the commissary," he said, citing recently published research that proves as much. "There was an article written recently by a gentleman who was an authorized shopper but didn't use his privileges. He kept hearing about how you could save 30 percent, so did his own study and, sure enough, he was losing money by not shopping at the commissary. It definitely saves you the 30 percent overall"

Although he has only been here for a little over two months, Othon said his time at Laughlin has been beneficial in that he has learned how to better manage the people he presides over.

"Laughlin is relatively small and there are not of employees so you really have to manage your folks well. You have to make sure a lot of cross training is taking place so all these tasks can be accomplished with a fewer amount of people," he said.

Laughlin's leadership is certainly appreciative of Othon's contributions.

"The wing has benefitted greatly from Mr. Othon's willingness to take on additional responsibilities when the commissary was in need of a manager," said Lt. Col. Sandy Travnicek , 47th Mission Support Group deputy commander.

Othon stressed how his focus during his time here and throughout his career has been to provide the best service possible for military personnel.

"We are serving the best customers in the world," he said. "Whether they're here or overseas, that's what our function is".