Posted on 10/28/2009 5:11:06 PM PDT by Justaham
PORTLAND, Ore. - With many families suddenly struggling to feed themselves, the big warehouse clubs known for king-size packages of steak and jumbo boxes of Cheerios are increasingly competing with grocery stores for the 36 million Americans now on food stamps.
Costco Wholesale Corp. said Wednesday that it would start accepting food stamps at its warehouse clubs nationwide after testing them at stores in New York. That is a big about-face for a chain that has catered to the bargain-hunting affluent with its gourmet foods, and a reflection of the fact food-stamp use has hit new highs.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Gee will they accept food stamps for their membership fee?
The article said they won’t accept food stamps for membership dues.
Excellent question. You don’t need a membership to buy alcohol (in California). So if food stampers can buy without a membership, why would I continue to shop there and support that?
I didn’t think food stamps could be turned down anywhere.
“Americas a great country. Someday we’ll drive to the poor house in the finest automobiles’’.- Will Rogers. Yup, folks will be driving up in Cadillac Esplanades paying for grub with food stamps. What a country.
Wonder how this will work with the 2% Executive Membership rebate program?
How about California IOU’s? Any chance they’ll take those?
Well that does it I refuse to pay to shop in a store that allows those people in!
Well, I hope that Costco will be opening special checkout lines for Food Stampers, or this customer is histoi.
NOT going to stand in line all damned day waiting for the cashiers to sort out each and every item of purchase. Seems like all too many Stampers require the cashiers to think for them.
‘Seems like all too many Stampers require the cashiers to think for them.’
They already require us to buy the food for them. The butcher shop I go to accepts the Link card so I try not to go around the first of each month.
I was in there and asked them about it and they said they DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. They asked where I heard this from and I said the local paper!
I’ll bet they have been losing money because of so many losing jobs and not affording to shop there like they once did.
Yes, in AZ not every store accepts them. You cannot buy alcohol with the food stamps debit card either which is a good thing.
In AZ it is a debit card and you use it just like you would your bank debit card.
The Russian community in New York has been doing just that for years.
Since my comment I’ve found that a permit is required for a store to accept food stamps. Apparently Costco has simply never seen the need for the permit. I guess I’ve just never seen any stores that didn’t accept them before.
I don’t believe alcohol has ever been something that someone could buy on grub stubs.
Ditto. The lines at my local Costco are far too often so long that I have been known to abandon my cart with 3 or 4 items and buy them elsewhere.
For us, Costco is good for things such as milk, eggs, butter, bananas, their kitchen trash bags.......
I did not know a permit was needed to accept food stamps.
And I have seen much shorter lines over the last year or so at our local Costco.
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