Can a consultant on a military base sell products at the PX and Officer's Club?

[Becca_in_MD]

I have a new consultant who's in base housing in the US. She's only been there a month or two. I'm not familiar with how things work on base. There's a flea market thing this weekend where she's going to sell old toys, etc. I gave her some PC things to display there. She's working on networking with people at the gym and daycare. I've heard of consultants setting up a table at the PX and Officer's Club. Does anyone have any suggestions of other things she can do that are specific to being on base?

Many thanks.

 

[Sheila]

Have her contact the housing office for her base. They will be able to supply her with any rules/regulations that pertain to doing business from base housing and/or doing business on the base premises.

Here are the rules for us in Japan (I'm assuming that they would hold true for all military bases):

• We have to contact the base for a business license. It's free out here, but you have to get permission to run a business from government housing.
• We can not set up in public places, unless it's an organized event and we rent a booth (like at the community center on base or at a local high school fund raiser, etc.) Standing outside the Commissary (our grocery store) and handing out flyers would be prohibited on our base.
• We can not solicit door-to-door on the base.
• We can not hang flyers anywhere on base advertising our business.
• We can not use the military mail for profit. We can get catalogs & order forms, but CAN NOT accept mail for others which means that we can not purchase cash & carry items & have them delivered to us through the military mail.

 

[erinyourpclady]

You do not have to contact the base for a business license stateside. You must however include your business on you lease in base housing. Base housing does not deal with any of that since most military family housing is now run by outside companies.All of the rest of Sheila's points are valid except the military mail.....we don't have that on base stateside!

 

[yaryan]

I am on Ft. Knox and you do have to register your business in order to have a show on post. I would recommend that your new consultant contact ACS and ask them what the procedure is for the specific location they are on. I have to carry a card with me at all times when I do a show on post and of course there is a set of protocols I have to follow since I live on post. It sounds like each post/base is different though.

 

[nikked]

My understanding is that the registration of your business is up to each base's commander. Where I'm at (Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM), there are NO regulations. But sometimes, I wish there were. Some folks just don't know how to act!!! :yuck:

All that said to mean to have her check with her individual base (as previously stated). If she's not sure where to start, Family Support would be a good place.

HTH!

 

[jbdowd0798]

Its each base's decision to enforce business licenses. Its a joke here in Monterey, they never bothered it til a few months ago (talk of wine on a yahoo group- not a pc show), then a few people had to get it, then the lady that does it is never there or busy, I never did it as I couldn't get ahold of her and she never returned my calls.
Also, you do not have to let housing know. Your home, your lease. I've been to RI and here with the biz and the people actually put in orders and do shows with us. lol Its all good. I have it on my car, a yard sign out, etc. they don't care!

 

[jenniferm]

I've heard of consultants setting up a table at the PX and Officer's Club. Does anyone have any suggestions of other things she can do that are specific to being on base?

As for setting up at the PX. She would have to talk to them. Each Exchange is different. It costs and you usally have to have cash and carry and give them a percent. I asked about it and they said NO ORDER TAKING...all Cash and Carry and then it was 25% of sales I had to pay them...it was not worth it...I would have made no money.