Topic: KMCC Mall

[AFCOLRAM]

When I first came across this website I was disturbed to see the way AAFES employees feel towards each other and towards the AAFES organization; but following the opening of the new KMCC Mall at Ramstein I am starting to understand why. My wife has a job with a vendor company who works with AAFES. She started working earlier in the year on setting up the new KMCC Mall on Ramstein, often working long hours setting up product displays but also lobbying her company for money and prizes which are turned over to AAFES to (presumably) give to customers during the grand opening. She seemed to be enjoying being a part of setting up a new store and after following me around for almost 20 years, I was gratified to see that my wife had found something to really throw herself into. Things started to turn bad the day her boss came in from CONUS to see the progress of her work. My wife attempted to introduce her visiting boss to the KMCC store manager and was cut off with a terse “I am not talking to vendors today”. Apparently this manager had decided that she would only deign to speak to vendors on certain days of the week and a visitor from CONUS was not reason enough to even say hello. Keep in mind; my wife doesn’t get paid by AAFES so all of her labor is completely free for them and they willingly accept thousands of dollars worth of Gift Cards and free merchandise but can’t even be polite to her boss. Then supposedly this same KMCC manager was later seen chatting with another vendor who is (conveniently) married to an AAFES manager, a friend of the KMCC manager – hence the special treatment.
Then there was the day of the grand opening. All the vendors who worked for months (again, free labor for AAFES) on setting up the store were told to leave the area of the ribbon cutting ceremony. AAFES claims to be part of the support system for military members and families but simultaneously propagates the worst possible environment for them to exist in. I’d like to point out that my wife is an authorized patron and deserved as much as anyone to be there to see the ceremony. I did not and will not spend one dime in that new mall. It’s no wonder AAFES’ own employees hate AAFES so much.

[nala lala]

hey you expirience what i see in 7 years of hard  work at aafes it is a common thing what you and your wife exprienced aafes uses people how ever they need them and when its time to promote people or give them a little thank you dont expect them to think about a vendor or a aafes associate i got passed by so many times is not even funny im really sorry what happen to your wife. im sure she did a mad job getting the mall set up but dont expect aafes to honor her for her labor it wont be happen at all 

[Homer]

Yes sir - not only a very rude manager but also a very incompetent one as well! Definitely no people skills. Prefers to talk "down" to the "little people". Wouldn't make it outside of the AAFES world. Thinks her $h!t doesn't stink but what goes around comes around. Karma is a bitch! 

[AAFESisaMAFIA]

Went by the Globus today, (off base German retail store). I often shopped because of the larger product assortment. To my surprise, everywhere I turned there were Americans shopping here. Before the KMCC opened, Vogelweh BX was still open and people shopped there because of either a fear of shopping off base or because of the exchange rate. Then AAFES had this wonderful idea of opening this great big BX with the same product assortment and that they would close the Vogelweh BX since if they made one big store everyone would have to drive to ramstein. Well I guess that plan didn' t work as well as they thought. Now who used to be AAFES customers in Vogelweh have become Globus customers in Kaiserslautern. Why is the new mall called the KMCC anyway, it should be the RMCC (Ramstein Military Community Center) Since Ramstein is not Kaiserslautern.

Globus has a better product assortment anyway. AAFES has some good deals but they are like finding a needle in a hay stack. Their product assortment is like overpriced low end crap to highend priced crap. Half the time you cant find that kitchen appliance in 220V. AAFES tends to always run out of stock of what is hot and tends to only keep in stock what they think sells the best, forgetting that if you don't have it in stock it can't sell.

The EURO / DOLLAR rate may keep some from shopping off base, but the return policy is ALOT better off base. When you buy any electrical appliance off base AND KEEP THE RECEIPT than you have a warranty for the item good for 2 YEARS!!! This is European law. So that's already better than AAFES 15-30 day whatever return policy. Globus takes VAT forms so that makes them tax free FOR REAL.

This new AAFES shopping center was a good move as in a nice setting for the customer but it could have been better thought out and a 4-5 story park house could have been built. 2 story park house? Get real.

After such a long wait the inside could have also at least have had a ceiling. But then again thank goodness it doesn't now I can't hear that wretched announcement system.

[TheFreud]

The exchange rate kept me from shopping off base a lot- but for the most part... it kept me shopping online instead. You'd have been hard pressed finding me shopping for anything in the BX (even in Vogelweh) unless it was something I needed right then and there.

Often times, I couldn't get what I needed in a hurry there anyway, and had to "settle" for something else, or go without. i.e Nail Polish Remover, Dog Shampoo, Pantyhose, DVD-Rs, XBox headsets... I could go on and on about what I couldn't get at the BX. Common sense stuff that they should be carrying, but didn't.

I can only imagine what a headache the mall has made trying to buy stuff over there. I have some great suggestions for online shopping for pretty much anything you might need.

[Stop_Your_Crying]

aaaaaaaah you  met the infamous back stabbing its ALL ABOUT ME "Stephanie Burns"..Mmmuuuhhaaaaa The vendor she was talking to is the wife of  Mike Brennan AAFES manager, two peas in a pod those two are.........

[gina]

Oh yes.  Guess we all know the infamous Ms. Burns.  I could write a book about her lack of usefulness.  But I won't bore you with it.  The Bitburg MS employees remember her very well.  Worthless but swallows.  Therefore the position which she still cannot handle.

[gina]

We did visit the KMCC Mall one day last month.  It was suggested by another employee to try Captain D's Seafood Kitchen.  We did and what a complete waste of 23$.  The hush puppy's were overcooked therefore hollow, the fish was overbattered and tasteless.  What a disgusting meal.  After lunch we decided to checkout the mall stores.  OK, interesting.  Not anything anyone would want to buy but interesting.  The mall LOOKS nice.  That was about the end of it.  Next I decided I needed a bathroom so went in one.........it was filthy, backed up and stinking.  I checked the next one, same picture, and the next.  Isn't this a NEW building?  OK, military bathrooms.  Just like the ones in any other AFFES facility.  Better stop to piss BEFORE visiting.  Next, the great big beautiful main store was visited.  Wait a minute, ditch beautiful.  What happended to the ceiling?  Did it get lost on the way over the pond?  And what about the merchandise.  I am from Bitburg area and we have more of a selection in clothing sizes here.  I looked for five items.  I settled for the the LAST item on the shelve for one of the items after hunting down a sales associate and asking if there were any more in the warehouse.  Answer?  (Wait for it now)  "Sir, I don't have time to check the warehouse but if it's the last one on the shelf it's PROBABLY the last one.  You had better buy it before someone else does."  Now have we all heard that bullshit before or what?  When I heard the name of the store manager I knew it would be a wasted effort to try to go and see if only maybe it would be worth a trip.  FINDINGS:  Stay away.  The largest BX/PX in  the world that just opened in Germany (FINALLY) sucks!  Maybe that's why I shop downtown or in the "Zweibrücken Outlets."  Even "Marques Avenue Outlets" in Metz, France is better and cheaper too.
:Moral to this story:  Been there, tried it, ain't never going back!

You need to have a lot of time to stand in line too.  I wanted two ice creams at BR and a young not-to-involved-in-serving kid was dipping while his supervisor was cleaning behind him and conveniently ignoring the line.  It took 45 minutes to get two ice creams and cost over 7$.  A real treat when the ice cream had chunks of ice in it.  Wonderful!

Like I say, not going back.

Am I bitter?  You bet your sweet arse I am.

[TheFreud]

Wow. See I knew things were going to be bad... That place was supposed to open years ago. Kinda figured it would end up a shithole.
Think it is just starting out kinks... or will it continue to suck?