The Exchange at 125: We Welcomed Home 18.5 Million Veterans with the Homecoming They Deserved

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2017, 18.5 million honorably discharged Veterans, regardless of their years of service, were welcomed home to their military family with online shopping privileges with the Exchange.

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2017, 18.5 million honorably discharged Veterans, regardless of their years of service, were welcomed home to their military family with online shopping privileges with the Exchange.

We spread out the welcome mat for the deserving Veterans after the Department of Defense changed its eligibility policy.

Since 2017, more than 125,000 Veterans have shopped online, placing more than 540,000 orders and saving more than $9.2 million in sales tax, as of May 2020.

The tax-free, online shopping benefit, which more than doubled the Exchange’s customer base, culminated years of efforts, led by Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull, himself a Veteran, to recognize the services of all honorably discharged Veterans—the first new benefit afforded them since 1953.

Before Nov. 11, 2017, most Veterans couldn’t shop with the exchanges because the benefit was limited to former service members with 20 years in the armed forces or a 100% disability rating. . Some Veterans had served multiple tours of combat zones and were discharged, often involuntarily, before meeting the 20-year rule.