Sales and Disbursing Classes

After getting back from the class Saltwater Trip in Norfolk, we settled back into the second round of classes at the Navy Supply Corps School. Sales and disbursing were taught in a very similar fashion to food service and supply management. Not to say that either food service or supply management are any less important but for junior officers these two classes are definitely more relevant. The one exception being for those Ensigns who are still contemplating serving on board a submarine. There are no Sales or Management divisions on a submarine. Depending on the ship, the junior supply officer may be the only individual in the Disbursing division. Sales is a completely different animal all together.

Where disbursing is focused on following procedures and policies to a "T", sales is often more about interacting with the crew and improvising depending on unique situations. In disbursing an Officer can be dealing with large sums of money but is more than likely handling issues with pay, Navy Cash (basically a debit card for the Navy since most ships have gone cashless), or managing the finances for food service and sales. Unlike the government, which seems to misplace funds every once in a while, we are accountable for every dollar. At the end of every month a report is filled out and sent in, that is the main factor that establishes the Disbursing Officer's accountability.

It is a little harder to describe the duties of a Sales Officer. His/Her primary responsibility is running the ship's store but he/she also handles laundry and the barber shop. The daily routine is fluid when dealing with so many aspects; purchasing miscellaneous supplies, managing storerooms, overseeing vending machines, keeping an eye on laundry and barber services and of course running the ship's store. Many of the duties generally associated with the sales division can get quite monotonous for the crew so careful supervision takes a certain amount of time out of the day. On the other hand, being the Sales Officer can be fun, you have a certain amount of freedom when choosing what to order or how to design the store. As long as the operation runs smoothly you are one of the more appreciated Officers on the ship. If clothes start coming back wet or the store runs out of something, that is another story.

Midway into sales and disbursing we received the class billet list. This list contained all the possible billets or positions that the Navy needed filled in the next few months following our graduation. Depending on how well you did in your classes up to this point will have a huge impact on your choices.