No Refunds at FMC Fort Worth Commissary: What Families and Inmates Need to Know
Commissary matters. For many people at FMC Fort Worth, it's how they get through the week. But the rules are strict: purchases are final, orders can't be changed after submission, and missing your turn means losing your shopping privilege for the week.
FMC Fort Worth treats every commissary purchase as final sale. The commissary list is explicit: "NO REFUNDS, SUBSTITUTIONS or EXCHANGES." The cutoff? Once the sales receipt is handed over and the person "leave[s] the window," that's it - the sale is done. Any checking needs to happen right there at the window. Walk away with the receipt, and the purchase is locked in.
Policy line (FMC Fort Worth commissary list): “Once the sales receipt is provided to you and you leave the window, the sale is considered final.”
Here's another rule that catches people off guard: no adding items after the order is submitted. The guidelines are clear - "You will be prohibited from adding items to your list once it has been submitted to the commissary." Double-check the list before turning it in, because once it's submitted, there's no going back.
Some mistakes cost more than one purchase - they can cost the entire week. FMC Fort Worth's commissary rules state that anyone who doesn't report to the sales window after their number is called "will forfeit [their] shopping privilege for the week." For someone who relies on commissary for basics, that's a real setback.
Quick reminder: At FMC Fort Worth, plan on final sale (no refunds/exchanges), don’t expect to add items after a list is submitted, and make sure your loved one reports when their number is called - or they can lose shopping privileges for the week.
Family Advice
- ✓ Recheck the shopping list before it’s submitted, because items can’t be added afterward.
- ✓ Slow down on quantities and item choices - final sale rules mean fixing a mistake later may not be possible.
- ✓ Avoid last-minute “change this” messages; once the list is submitted, additions aren’t allowed.
- ✓ Treat the purchase like final checkout: once the receipt is issued and the window is left, the sale is final.
- Check the receipt immediately at the window - the commissary rules say the sale is final once the receipt is provided and the person leaves the window.
- Speak up before walking away - if something looks wrong, the only realistic moment to address it is before leaving the window, since refunds, substitutions, and exchanges aren’t allowed.
- Assume you won’t be able to “fix it later” - plan around the final-sale rule so a small mix-up doesn’t become a bigger loss.
Tip: If your loved one misses their call to the commissary sales window, they can forfeit their shopping privilege for the week - so reporting when called matters.
Even when everything goes smoothly, prices can shift. FMC Fort Worth's commissary guidelines note that prices are subject to change without prior notice. A "usual" total one week might look different the next.
Stock levels matter too. The guidelines explain that quantities may be limited according to availability - so a specific item (or the amount requested) might not always be fillable.
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