European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 29, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Toppers in Europe. Han "0 i in town or on base feel More at Home in the familiar surroundings of Little America. Others arrive overseas with the itch to buy foreign at All costs and May end up paying too much Lor merchandise they do not want or need. Poor buys in the Market often reflect carelessness or ignorance. Shopping suggestions provided at newcomer briefings May be forgotten As new arrivals Are swamped with information they fail to absorb. Maria Hill. Army Community service Counselor in Heidelberg said wives clubs often provide a format for the Exchange of shopping information. She stressed the importance of combining Market research with self Reliance. If people apply themselves they can do More than anyone else to make the right shopping  Hill said. Local Market conditions often influence buying. When base outlets carry limited inventories spending increases on the Economy. Many items Are Best buys in the country of origin Flo Kati rugs in Greece glassware and pottery in Italy. Hummel figures in Germany leather goods in Spain. The Cost of goods is the most important Factor in sales. And costs As Economy minded shoppers know. Are largely determined by the strength of the Dollar. In Kaiserslautern. Donna Loomis saves Money by buying German clothes that Are favourably priced due to the Dollar Mark Exchange rate. When it comes to food Loomis Dors most of her buying for a family of four in the Vogel Weh and Ramstein commissaries two of the largest food stores in Europe. Except for fresh fruits and vegetables. I tend to buy Donna Loomis above saves Money by buying German clothes at favourable Exchange rate. Many military families balance their purchases be tween the local stores and commissary. At right shoppers Load tha bus with bargains purchased on a factory tour. Urno. W. So irks december 29, 1985 is photo of Dave Olulo in the commissaries Loomis said that s no different than it was in the states at our last duty station in Colorado Springs i also bought Rosl food in the commissaries occasionally i bought at the supermarkets but usually that was at special sales sgt. George Blackburn. 17lh signal in. Frankfurt has been shopping extensively on the Economy Lor three years except for meats which Are considerably less expensive in the commissary we have limited our commissary runs Blackburn said. Most of our fresh food was bought in a Farmer s Market in our neighbourhood. That saved the Battle through traffic and the lines at the commissary. And we found the food to be of top Quality and favourably priced we also shopped in Gorman hardware stores for tools Kitchen utensils and furniture " the big decision Lor tech sgt Steven Buhrow. 601st air support operations group. Bum Holder. Came Asho shopped for a new automobile alter studying the Market he narrowed the Choice to a Chevrolet Cavalier Lor delivery in the United states or a Saab 900 Lor delivery in Europe it was really not that hard to  Buhrow said i paid $11.500 Lor the Saab and drove it two months in Europe before., the company shipped it Back Home free. The Chevy would have Cost about $1.000 less Bui the Saab is a lot More  although priced in dollars the Saab s competitive Price was linked to the Dollar Exchange rate if i had bought the Saab in the Spring when the Dollar was a lot higher it would have Cost a lot less Buhrow said during the past two years the Strong Dollar has stimulated across he Board sales of european products. Army information. Tours and travel offices report solid bookings for shopping trips to factory outlets officials from both Small and Large businesses dependent on the military buyer expect sales to remain Strong As Long As the Dollar stays above the 2 50-Mark level. While still Strong compared with its performance in the late 1970s, the Dollar has slumped from its High Levels of february and March a decline that Alert buyers Are watching. Right now i tend to do a Little less shopping on the Economy than in the Spring said come sgt maj James e. Greene. 302nd military intelligence in Frankfurt. Three hours in Germany have exposed me to the risks of currency fluctuations some people May not be As sensitive As i am i was in Vilseck when the Dollar hit Bottom. Ii stands to reason less Money will be spent on the Economy if the Dollar continues to  the stars and stripes Page 15