My food stamps and crab legs story.

[973beachbum]

So I have started my PT job at the local grocery store.  It has only been a few days but I think I am gettingused to the register.  Thuthfully I have to notice how they are paying but not what type of card they are using.  There registers lump credit cards, EBT and even gift cards all together as EFT's so while Ihave to pay attention to if they are using a card vs check or cash I don't always notice what type of card.  I guess I must be gettting better because I have started to notice things like it is a EBT vs Debit or gift card.

Well I saw the YM much talked about food stamp user on Saturday.   A woman came into the lane with three bags of King crab legs and a couple of jars of coctail sauce.  I almost cracked up when I saw she was using her EBT card to pay for everything.

I also had a woman come in with her young child later who was on food stamps.  She only had a few very basic items of very cheap type food plus toilet paper, deod and laundry det.  She had money for the tp type things but her food stamps card was declined for the food because she was out of money on it to use.   I felt really bad.

[tloonya]

Apr 7, 2014 12:30:54 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

So I have started my PT job at the local grocery store.  It has only been a few days but I think I am gettingused to the register.  Thuthfully I have to notice how they are paying but not what type of card they are using.  There registers lump credit cards, EBT and even gift cards all together as EFT's so while Ihave to pay attention to if they are using a card vs check or cash I don't always notice what type of card.  I guess I must be gettting better because I have started to notice things like it is a EBT vs Debit or gift card.

Well I saw the YM much talked about food stamp user on Saturday.   A woman came into the lane with three bags of King crab legs and a couple of jars of coctail sauce.  I almost cracked up when I saw she was using her EBT card to pay for everything.

I also had a woman come in with her young child later who was on food stamps.  She only had a few very basic items of very cheap type food plus toilet paper, deod and laundry det.  She had money for the tp type things but her food stamps card was declined for the food because she was out of money on it to use.   I felt really bad.

If you weren't a member here would you even notice crab legs on food stamps? Just wondering...

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

If you weren't a member here would you even notice crab legs on food stamps? Just wondering...

This isn't the only place where there are people noted buying crab legs with an EBT card.

[alabamagal]

I am a nosy shopper. I am always looking at the people ahead of me in line.

And if I see someone buying crab legs I pay extra attention to how they pay. The EBT card is pretty easy to spot because it has a big peach on it.

And I have seen shoppers for real buying crab legs with EBT.

[mollyanna58]

Apr 7, 2014 12:30:54 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

Well I saw the YM much talked about food stamp user on Saturday.   A woman came into the lane with three bags of King crab legs and a couple of jars of coctail sauce.  I almost cracked up when I saw she was using her EBT card to pay for everything.

A real life sighting!  So it's not just a myth.

I'm sure the majority of EBT users are more like the second woman, genuinely trying to get by with a little government assistance.

[973beachbum]

I never noticed how anyone is paying unless there was a problem holding up the line.

But the registers just have a blanket ket that says "EFT" which means electronic funds transfer.  Unless there is an issue I don't have to do anything other than hit the button when it lights up.   I was just thinking as I put the crab legs in the bag that it would be funny if it was a food stamp person like on YM and sure enough the screen said EBT in the corner.

I will say she didn't have any nice jewerly on, or even nice clothes.  I wouldn't know about the Escalade though.  I coudln't see the parking lot and she might have found it weird if I followed her to her car.
 

[mollyanna58]

Did she have $50. fingernails? 

[973beachbum]

Apr 7, 2014 12:54:04 GMT -5 mollyanna58 said:

Did she have $50. fingernails? 

No she actually looked a little messy.  Broken fingernails and old clothes with paint type splatter on them.  Hair type up in a pony tail and in with a nice line where her god given hair color ended in favor of what she changed it too.

[tloonya]

Apr 7, 2014 12:49:57 GMT -5 mollyanna58 said:

Apr 7, 2014 12:30:54 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

Well I saw the YM much talked about food stamp user on Saturday.   A woman came into the lane with three bags of King crab legs and a couple of jars of coctail sauce.  I almost cracked up when I saw she was using her EBT card to pay for everything.

A real life sighting!  So it's not just a myth.

I'm sure the majority of EBT users are more like the second woman, genuinely trying to get by with a little government assistance.

From my point of view...NO!
A lot of my customers who's husbands are making a good dough - getting foodstamps.
I think there is some gap that just had happened in the system or a lot of then will be getting an audit soon.
Because I hold their EBT cards. And I KNOW what their husbands doing. But they do have 3-4 kids. So...

[nutty]

Me and DD get our nails done as a treat, so....but she doesn't like crab so she gets filet mignon instead.

[whoami]

Apr 7, 2014 12:47:48 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

I am a nosy shopper. I am always looking at the people ahead of me in line.

And if I see someone buying crab legs I pay extra attention to how they pay. The EBT card is pretty easy to spot because it has a big peach on it.

And I have seen shoppers for real buying crab legs with EBT.

Ours has the Texas flag and in big letters "Lone star". Had a woman in front of me using EBT who had about 200 bucks worth of cat food in the cart. Obviously not paid for with EBT but she did have the cash for it.

Im sure she was buying it for her elderly parents.

[mollyanna58]

You certainly know a lot more about EBT users than I do, Tloonya, so I believe you about lots of people abusing the system.  I still hope it's not the majority.

[nutty]

Lots of people abuse it, I think my DD is the only one that doesn't. That because I am strict on that stuff.

[tloonya]

Apr 7, 2014 13:09:32 GMT -5 nutty said:

Lots of people abuse it, I think my DD is the only one that doesn't. That because I am strict on that stuff.

Are you fishing for someone to say 'how isn't she abusing it if she eats filet mignon?'
Right?
See...it is too obvious, gotta camouflage it somehow. Too obvious!

[nutty]

[tloonya]

Apr 7, 2014 13:06:14 GMT -5 mollyanna58 said:

You certainly know a lot more about EBT users than I do, Tloonya, so I believe you about lots of people abusing the system.  I still hope it's not the majority.

See, I hope not but no one can really live on food stamps. So they must have some other assistance. Or job. Then they will have food stamps cut. Which will make their working pointless. And here it goes round and around...
Everyone comes to me with food stamps, people who I know have jobs. Probably cash jobs. I would say...definitely cash jobs.

If government was smart they would employ me and people like me to make analyses for them...

[Phoenix84]

Interesting, so it's not just a YM mythical figure or talking point.  They do exist.

[nutty]

The most obvious abuse is not declaring additional income.

[greeniis10]

A bit off topic, but just had to share: went to the grocery store yesterday and my cashier was "Lateshia"!  Wasn't Wal-Mart, but still.  If I knew how to post a picture I'd post my receipt.  Had to smile on my way out the door.

[mollyanna58]

Apr 7, 2014 13:25:24 GMT -5 tloonya said:

Apr 7, 2014 13:06:14 GMT -5 mollyanna58 said:

See, I hope not but no one can really live on food stamps.

Food stamps are not designed to be someone's only source of food.  The program name is Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.  It's supposed to help make ends meet, not provide 3 full meals a day.

[mollyanna58]

Apr 7, 2014 14:33:47 GMT -5 greeniis10 said:

A bit off topic, but just had to share: went to the grocery store yesterday and my cashier was "Lateshia"!  Wasn't Wal-Mart, but still.  If I knew how to post a picture I'd post my receipt.  Had to smile on my way out the door.

Maybe she got a new job.

[greeniis10]

Apr 7, 2014 14:54:24 GMT -5 mollyanna58 said:

Apr 7, 2014 14:33:47 GMT -5 greeniis10 said:

A bit off topic, but just had to share: went to the grocery store yesterday and my cashier was "Lateshia"!  Wasn't Wal-Mart, but still.  If I knew how to post a picture I'd post my receipt.  Had to smile on my way out the door.

Maybe she got a new job.

Good thinking!  It was Safeway, which IS considered a step-up over Wal-Mart around here!

[nutty]

My DD lives off the food stamps, it is quite a lot. I mean is able to get all the grocercies to last a month not sell them.

[zibazinski]

The easiest way is to limit what can be bought and add some basic stuff instead. I think TP, cleaning supplies, paper towels should be in it. Frozen dinners and expensive meats/shellfish should not.

[nutty]

When she first got pregnant she received $18, then she stopped working and went to school and BF was on the papers and got $150 approx (can't remember) now they get $347 which allows them to get formula and food for the month. I helped her shop at first to get decent stuff and find the deals.

[whoisjohngalt]

Apr 8, 2014 8:53:21 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

The easiest way is to limit what can be bought and add some basic stuff instead. I think TP, cleaning supplies, paper towels should be in it. Frozen dinners and expensive meats/shellfish should not.

I am beginning to think that I really don't care what people buy with food stamps. 

[zibazinski]

I'm beginning to think food stamps need to end, period.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Apr 8, 2014 9:00:26 GMT -5 whoisjohngalt said:

Apr 8, 2014 8:53:21 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

The easiest way is to limit what can be bought and add some basic stuff instead. I think TP, cleaning supplies, paper towels should be in it. Frozen dinners and expensive meats/shellfish should not.

I am beginning to think that I really don't care what people buy with food stamps. 

I don't want them used for booze, cigarettes or lottery tickets. 

I think I'm ok with limiting certain things, like 2 bags of chips a month or 1 case of soda.  Or even # of kids in household = # of happy meals per month.  I don't think adult means at fast food places should be covered though (I have issues, I know)

I'm ok with the rotisserie chicken covered too.  God knows DH's offer to pick one up last night saved us from McD's (it wasn't a good evening in my house...)

[whoisjohngalt]

Apr 8, 2014 9:08:29 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Apr 8, 2014 9:00:26 GMT -5 whoisjohngalt said:

I am beginning to think that I really don't care what people buy with food stamps. 

I don't want them used for booze, cigarettes or lottery tickets. 

I think I'm ok with limiting certain things, like 2 bags of chips a month or 1 case of soda.  Or even # of kids in household = # of happy meals per month.  I don't think adult means at fast food places should be covered though (I have issues, I know)

I'm ok with the rotisserie chicken covered too.  God knows DH's offer to pick one up last night saved us from McD's (it wasn't a good evening in my house...)

Here is the thing, just like with everything else, people how are honest, will do the right thing.  People are not - will find a million and one ways to scam the system.

I think foodstamps should be either done like WIC or not done at all, but it will never happen, so I am kind of at the point where I am just too tired to care about it.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Apr 8, 2014 9:12:19 GMT -5 whoisjohngalt said:

Apr 8, 2014 9:08:29 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

I don't want them used for booze, cigarettes or lottery tickets. 

I think I'm ok with limiting certain things, like 2 bags of chips a month or 1 case of soda.  Or even # of kids in household = # of happy meals per month.  I don't think adult means at fast food places should be covered though (I have issues, I know)

I'm ok with the rotisserie chicken covered too.  God knows DH's offer to pick one up last night saved us from McD's (it wasn't a good evening in my house...)

Here is the thing, just like with everything else, people how are honest, will do the right thing.  People are not - will find a million and one ways to scam the system.

I think foodstamps should be either done like WIC or not done at all, but it will never happen, so I am kind of at the point where I am just too tired to care about it.

True enough. 

I think it will happen around the same time as SS getting fixed, personally.  So I'm not holding my breath on it...