AAFES boss leaves legacy of benefits for more veterans and stronger perks for all

The military retail customer has changed during Tom Shull’s 14-year tenure leading the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We went suddenly from business attire to very casual, and that happened overnight, so we had to adjust very quickly to that shift,” he said during a recent interview with Military Times. Even now, customers haven’t returned completely to previous norms, he said. There have been some significant shifts in tastes, and fashion needs have focused more on beauty products and footwear. “We’re meeting the needs of the customer, as customers transition to a different focus, both in apparel and in other categories,” Shull said. Shull, who retired in June, is the longest-serving director in AAFES’ 131-year history and the first civilian to serve in that position. He’s an Army veteran and came into the job with a variety of commercial retail experience, where his primary focus was improving the customer experience. AAFES and all the services’ exchange systems are open to eligible military customers of all branches of service. In his 14-year tenure, Shull fought to extend the online exchange benefit to all honorably discharged veterans ; reduced AAFES’ debt from $2.4 billion to zero; increased customer satisfaction to 95%; fought off efforts to privatize or consolidate military stores ; and weathered the COVID-19 pandemic to keep stores open and customers safe, among other accomplishments. “Tom Shull spent his career work…