Food Stamps, Etc

[Plaidman]

Well I guess the minority all shop at me, because I remember them all abusing it, and two that didnt.

Not all food stamp people abuse it. I know this. All the studies CLAIM that there is no proof that people on foodstamp or ebt abuse it. But I'm ON the front line. I SEE them pulling money out with their ebt cash card to buying beer or drugs, or just plain using the card itself, not even worrying about hiding it. When you have several hundred customers a day, and of those, 2/3 are on foodstamp, then you see about 300 assholes on foodstamps, and they all buy thirty bucks worth of junkfood a day, and they still HAVE several hunded more on their card (or cards for some), then yeah, it's easy to belive the vast majority are nothing more then thieving self entitled greedy thieves that need to permentally lose thier benifits. They got their fill by abusing it.

This of course, doesn't apply to those that don't abuse it. Which is little.

[KitterCat]

That's something else I see a lot. I don't think I've ever had anyone go EW on me quite as hard as food stamp customers can. And this being West Virginia, this frequently manifests as a bizarre blend of redneck + paranoia + entitlement + persecution complex.

Oh dear god yes. Until recently I lived in WV as well. Its not called a “welfare state” for nothing. I hated seeing buggies full of junk food being paid with food stamps, only to have several hundred dollars worth of entertainment behind it, to be rung up separately. Entertainment as in the latest dvd’s, video games, cd’s and sometimes even a full system - be it tv, music or gaming. Oh how I longed to report these people.

Living in MD now, I’m seeing the same thing, only on EBT cards since we’ve gone the way of plastic now. Now maybe this is because I work at a convenience store so I only see the worst of the worst, but to get to see the same idiots paying with those dame cards night after night for $7 cold premade sub really makes my blood boil. Especially when these are the same people who will whine about how they don’t get enough money from the card to live off of each month. Do some planning and buy some lunch meat, bread and cheese. Make 3 sandwiches for the price of the one your paying for.

I have to say I’d love it if EBT’s could only be used at grocery stores. You want deli meat, buy it in bulk at a grocery store. Or a mega store- sam’s club, Costco, BJ’s. Its not like there isn’t one of them around for most them. A bit more planning would give them a bit more bang for their buck. It may even make some of them learn how to cook. As for times when your going out for a day trip for something special. Its called planning, pack a picnic basket.

QUOTE=Mongo Skruddgemire;62026]
But I was never the entitlement whores that y'all are talking about and that I have seen myself.

In short, those assholes and entitlement whores make thousands of people like me who used it when we needed it and were damn thankful for it all look like the same twats they are and gives us a bad name.[/QUOTE]

Mongo, while I feel for the heck you went through due to the EW food stamp people, at least you have the ability to want to get off assistance. You actually have the mindset that its suppose to be used in the case of emergencies. From my experiences your in the minority, not the majority. I have come across more people who think it’s a way of life and should be paid more. What I think is a lot of EBT recipients forget that EBT suppose to be an assistance program. If you cant afford food, you shouldn’t be making a trip to the mall.

[Plaidman]

Sorry KillerCat. I got to disagree about being mad about the people buying sandwichs. Yeah, the might be seven dollars a piece, and that they could buy ALOT more food and make alot more sandwhichs if they bought the stuff and made at home, but at least it's a Real meal, rather then candy and cupcakes that I get. I never get mad or even upset if they buy that, but it's the junk... The endless candy and snacks and massive sodas and shit that pisses me off.

To make it clear, I am NOT stating that anyone on food stamps is to NEVER have candy or soda. My problem lies if it's ALL they buy. I think they need to completely revamp the whole system to put a limit on junk food. Like five bucks for candy, 12 bucks for soda, and a cake or two a month for holidays/birthdays etc only.

[Rageaholic]

The way I see it, as long as they are buying food, what does it matter? I mean, they are food stamps, right? What's wrong with using them to buy junk food? Afterall, it's still food.

[Plaidman]

The way I see it, as long as they are buying food, what does it matter? I mean, they are food stamps, right? What's wrong with using them to buy junk food? Afterall, it's still food.

Simple. There is only X amount of money for Welfare.

There are starving people who need it, and would buy real food to feed themselves and their family.

However, they are refused, because the people that love junk food will never get off of it, they'll just renew it, and often get far more money.

Then their are the people that lie and give multiple identies, to get multiple cards. These people have no empathy, or care even that others might need it.

The greedy bastards that abuse it, make it so that others that need it in times of real genual need are flat out refused.

So people that buy nothing but candy, need to have it fucking removed from them. PERMENATLY. Have it tattooed on their forehead that they have abused it for so long that they are to never have it again. If they are so hungry, then they can go to a soup kitchen for real food. They used up their chances by using welfare to buy candy.

The people that won't abuse it, and use it to buy real food likely won't be on it forever since they know it's just to help them out, it'll free up after a while to give to another person who needs it.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Mongo, while I feel for the heck you went through due to the EW food stamp people, at least you have the ability to want to get off assistance. You actually have the mindset that its suppose to be used in the case of emergencies. From my experiences your in the minority, not the majority.

I think you will find that there are more people than you realize who are like me. That the true majority are honest people. Look at Customers Suck. To read that site, you could easily get the impression that shoppers are a bunch of...well you know...sucky customers. And there are people on the site who get more than their fair share of them. But not all of them are that bad. I agree with the person who got on here and said that the ones that do not abuse the system are the ones who do not get remembered.

Well at least with the exception of the poor folks who have 2 or 3 that don't abuse it and they get memorized since they are the exception to the rule. But it's no different than the CS stories where the poster remembers the 2 or 3 customers that aren't douche bags.

I have come across more people who think it’s a way of life and should be paid more.

Wholeheartedly agree with you there. It's like the women who have more babies for the increase in the welfare checks. The woman with no visible means of support and half a dozen kids with another one on the way.

What I think is a lot of EBT recipients forget that EBT suppose to be an assistance program

.

Again I agree. Many people do forget that it is an assistance. I used it to buy the staples we needed to stay alive. My own money (whenever there was extra) was used for the treats and things not covered by assistance.

If you cant afford food, you shouldn’t be making a trip to the mall.

Now here's where I disagree. The mall I used to live at had a Shopper's Food Warehouse which was the cheapest place to get food of all the grocery stores in the area. Our mall had a Montgomery Wards which was (when they still existed) the only department store in the area. We didn't have a k-mart and Walmart didn't yet exist. So that was the place to get clothes. We would go to the mall to go to the movies whenever I could budget it in. I know we were on assistance, but are we expected to live a near-monastic lifestyle just because of that?

I know what you are saying here though. That a lot of the abusers will (going back to my previous example) use the food stamps to buy the food and pull the cards/stamps out of an "overflowing with money" wallet and shop at Macy's or really expensive stores. I agree that those are the people I want to taser with the full output of the average power substation for they way they abuse the system with out a care in the world.

[KitterCat]

Sorry KitterCat. I got to disagree about being mad about the people buying sandwichs. Yeah, the might be seven dollars a piece, and that they could buy ALOT more food and make alot more sandwhichs if they bought the stuff and made at home, but at least it's a Real meal, rather then candy and cupcakes that I get.

Let me clarify this. They only buy the sandwiches due to being unable to buy anything hot and fried. When your being forced to buy something somewhat healthy due to lack of options at the store your shopping at I don’t look at it as being responsible. These are also people who will buy soda, candy, chips to go with there sandwich. Its unheard of to seem an apple or banana picked up. I was only naming what I’ve got to actually make for them.

[Plaidman]

True, the food stamps won't let anyone buy hot food. And they very likely will buy chips and soda, (And beer on the cash portion).

But a sandwich is still a TRILLION times better then couple boxes of twinkies, a few cases of soda, ten giant bars of hersery chocolate, two bags of jolly ranchers, and a pissed off mom screaming at her daughter to get a soda and not a juice because they have the foood stamps to buy soda and the little girl better not waste it on something stupid like juice.

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

This is a personal subject for me because I'm on food stamps at the moment as are many other people in this area (it's a working class area that's been hit hard by the recession AND the BP Oil Spill).

I admit I do buy some treats when I shop with them, namely because I buy some treats whenever I shop for groceries. The majority of the money goes to necessities: Bread, eggs, milk, cheese, canned goods, meat and fruit and veggies.

We usually get some TV dinners and the like too because we (my wife and I) aren't always in the mood to cook and I sometimes like to take them to work with me instead of blowing money at Wendy's or Subway for food on my break.

Believe me I don't want to be on them but I am thankful for the help. Most people I see with them around here are courteous enough but that may be because so many of us are on them so we know what it's like.

[Red Panda]

Living in MD now, I’m seeing the same thing, only on EBT cards since we’ve gone the way of plastic now. Now maybe this is because I work at a convenience store so I only see the worst of the worst, but to get to see the same idiots paying with those dame cards night after night for $7 cold premade sub really makes my blood boil. Especially when these are the same people who will whine about how they don’t get enough money from the card to live off of each month. Do some planning and buy some lunch meat, bread and cheese. Make 3 sandwiches for the price of the one your paying for.

I hate poeple who abuse the system but one thing to think about is people who constantly buy premade food may be in a situation where they are homeless or living someplace where they don't have access to a kitchen so they can't buy food that requires cooking or refridgeration.

[blas87]

You all also have to understand that I am secretly very angry with my bf for all the assistance he gets (despite living with his parents for free).

He has foodstamps and Badger Care. I was turned down for Badger Care when I only had a $6.50 an hour gas station job and no insurance cuz I had no kids.

When we were on no overtime and reduced hours, I was turned down for any assistance because I still made too much. Apparently $11 an hour is plenty to live on if you are single! Even if you just lost a day of work every week for three months!

[BigGiant]

This is such a complicated issue.


One of the many problems with public assistance programs is that in order to reach the folks that need the help, they also end up reaching the 'lazy' folks that want to make a lifestyle out of it.

Those that decide to make a living off of public assistance sometimes do so out of pure entitlement, but some are victims of generational poverty, and not only is that the way they were taught to live their lives, but they feel there is no way out.

Part of 'making a living' off of public assistance is knowing the rules to the game. These are the folks that manipulate the system the best. Sometimes I think, it is misinterpreted as a huge sense of entitlement, when it is really them applying what they've learned from parents and those around them about survival.


Anyway, sure there are plenty of folks taking advantage of a system that's designed to 'get people back on their feet'....but the solution lies not in getting rid of the system, but in changing it to help bring folks out of the cycle of poverty that they feel they are trapped in. That is the one major flaw in the system, IMO.

[Plaidman]

This is a personal subject for me because I'm on food stamps at the moment as are many other people in this area (it's a working class area that's been hit hard by the recession AND the BP Oil Spill).
.

Don't belive for a second we're attacking you.

You still BOUGHT food. Your diet wasn't entire candy. Those are the scum we're talking about. Treats are fine. But when it's nothing but treats is when you just deserve to be permentally banned from any assisstance since you obviously don't need it.

[Red Panda]

Alot of time average median income for the area is used as a way to determind benefits. A single person's is usually really low before they get help. Around here eve 15,000 a year puts you out of pretty much any assistance. The more people in the household the higher the amount you can earn is. Obviously some one claiming nothing will get into it although if he is at home he should be counting his parents income. I would guess he is claiming to be there temperarily when that is not the truth

[Plaidman]

Obviously some one claiming nothing will get into it although if he is at home he should be counting his parents income. I would guess he is claiming to be there temperarily when that is not the truth

At 25 years old, a person can claim to be living single, even if he lives with his parents rent free. Even if their welfare worker KNOWS that they live rent free with parents, they are still egible for the full amount. (Typically 200-300 dollars a month if your single male. Single female with kids can get into the thousands.