The chief of staff for logistics and ordnance on the staff of Commander, Naval Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet presented the Ship's Store Retail and Service Excellence Award to the guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) sales division, April 20.

Capt. Peter Stamatopolous presented the award to Ensign Andrew Peters, ship's sales officer, during a ceremony held in the ship's store.

"I am very proud to present this Excellence Award to the supply team aboard Cape," Stamatopolous told the crew. "I know the team worked really hard to produce the best product for the crew, and this accomplishment can only be achieved with exceptional teamwork and communication. This is just another example of the 'can-do' attitude of supply team aboard Cape."

To earn the award Cape St. George's sales records, inventories, order records and profits were all taken into account, as well as the general cleanliness and overall appearance of the retail and service spaces located on the ship.

When walking into a ship's store, a Sailor knows they can expect to find some of the daily necessities such as bathroom products, towels, ball caps, and maybe a snack. Cape St. George has all of those basics but takes things a little further.

Not only will you find a wide assortment of food products, but also a large variety of Cape St. George emblematic clothing, all of which is available to the Sailors at an affordable price and displayed with pride. In fact, the store is so popular it has to be restocked on a daily basis.

All profits from the ship's store are returned to the crew in the form of morale, welfare and recreation funds. While a majority of the crew may not understand the numbers behind keeping the store profitable and full of the latest comfort items, all Sailors certainly appreciate the products they are able to purchase at sea and in homeport.

With this award Cape St. George is now in the running for the "Best of Class" Ship's Store Retail and Service Excellence Award. The "Best of Class" award signifies a superior level of service and excellence provided to the crew compared to other ships of their class.

Cape St. George returned Jan. 16 from a seven-month independent deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean.

For more news from Naval Surface Forces, visit www.navy.mil/.