It’s been quite a few years since the Fort McCoy Exchange has seen a major update and in 2026, that’s about to change as the store will see a major change over the next 10 months, store officials said.
Mindy Scholze, store manager, described some of what is changing.
“If you haven’t been to the store, we have started our construction project that will be going through October,” Scholze said. “We are getting all new floors, polished concrete, we're going to have murals, all new fixtures, and it's going to look really nice. We’re really excited. It’s going to make for a long summer though.
“We started phase one in the express at the food court area, so hopefully that will be ready, completed in that area by the time (major) training starts,” Scholze said. “Because we don't want a huge mess, and that’s obviously where everybody wants to get the food, the snacks, and the drinks. So that was a priority to get that done as soon as possible.”
Scholze said the upgrades will include a food area that is more convenient and easier to use. Plus the floors will really be improved.
“We’re getting all new polished concrete floors, and it’s going to be really nice and smooth,” Scholze said. “Much, much nicer than what we currently have because our current floors are over 20 years old.”
And the way registers are set up will also be different, Scholze said.
“We’re also getting some self-checkout registers,” she said. “We’re going to have, I believe, four self-checkout registers and two manned registers, and there will be a queuing line and that will be at a central location.”
Scholze said the store will open up even more than it is now.
“Where the barbershop and alterations and that wall that kind of separates the express from the main store are right now, that’s all coming down and that’s where the registers are going to go,” Scholze said.
And as things change, what’s being sold in the store will also focus more on items that troops need when they are at Fort McCoy for training. And they’ll continue to carry popular items that have traditionally been popular items at the store.
Scholze wanted to also remind the community of who can now shop at the Fort McCoy Exchange.
“So, I don’t know if everyone is aware, but all government civilian employees with common access cards can now shop in the store for anything except for military clothing items,” Scholze said. That includes items like tobacco and alcohol and everything else too, so spread the word.”
The Fort McCoy Exchange won’t see any major exterior changes except for a new sign for the gas station area.
“We’re getting a new fuel monument,” Scholze said. “So, the road sign that has the fuel prices on it, that’s going to get replaced.”
Scholze said they’ll also be getting another exterior sign on the side of the building repaired.
“All I can say to the community is stay tuned and be patient. The store is going to be very nice when it’s all done,” she said.
Fort McCoy’s upgrade is just one of several being completed by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) in 2026. In a Jan. 14 press release from AAFES, they stated the service is “making significant investments to modernize and upgrade operations, with new constructions, image upgrades, expansions and more, at remote and isolated locations.”
The Army’s original pilot program targeting quality-of-life improvements at its “big three” installations (Fort Irwin, Calif.; Fort Polk, La.; and Fort Wainwright, Alaska) launched in 2020.
“These three installations have seen major improvements including nearly $17 million in upgrades to the Fort Wainwright Post Exchange, Express and Burger King; a new $16 million Express at Fort Irwin; and a $2.9 million Express upgrade at Fort Polk,” the news release states. “After the big three initiative was established, the Army added Fort Hood (Texas) as a fourth installation. The Exchange responded with related projects to improve the shopping experience at Fort Hood as well.”
The release also mentioned the Fort McCoy project.
“At Fort McCoy … Express update to integrate Military Clothing Store; 94 percenbt of total project cost funded by the Exchange,” the release states.
Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Rich Martinez, the AAFES senior enlisted advisor, discussed the importance of these Exchange upgrades in the release.
“The Exchange has completed or awarded all quality-of-life projects originally planned at the start of the Army’s big three program,” Martinez said. “This collective achievement is a result of hard work and collaboration with installation partners, ensuring the best customers in the world are taken care of no matter where their service takes them.”
Projects at similar remote and isolated facilities from mid-May 2024 through approved projects scheduled throughout 2026 total nearly $92 million in investment directly from AAFES earnings, the release also stated.
“These investments are a testament to the strength of the virtuous circle that is the 130-year-old Exchange benefit,” Martinez said. “100 percent of Exchange earnings are returned to the communities the organization is honored to serve. In 2024, the Exchange achieved $492 million in dividend-eligible earnings, with $295 million generated for budget-constrained quality-of-life programs — without burdening American taxpayers. In the last 10 years, the Exchange benefit has provided $15 billion in value to the military community.”
Learn more about AAFES online shopping, eligibility, and more by visiting https://www.aafes.com/exchange-stores. For questions about the Fort McCoy Exchange, call
608-269-5604.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi), and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: |
01.23.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
01.23.2026 23:47 |
| Story ID: |
556715 |
| Location: |
FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: |
1,264 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Fort McCoy Exchange to see store reset, updates during 2026 transformation, by Scott Sturkol, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Subscribe
