Not sure i’m reading this right....
Does the story say that a computer glitch made it look like people could buy as much as they wanted on EBT cards, so everyone started clearing the shelves???
Is that what happened?
Lynd explained the cards weren't showing limits and they called corporate Walmart, whose spokesman said to let the people use the cards anyway. From 7 to 9 p.m., people were loading up their carts, but when the cards began showing limits again around 9, one woman was detained because she rang up a bill of $700.00 and only had .49 on her card.
Note the "flash mob" aspect of this event, too. As soon as word spread of this "opportunity", the locusts swarmed in.
Yep.
First problem was the cards were all deactivated in 17 states.
Second problem was that when some of the cards were reactivated, the cards had no limit on them !
No. The computer glitch rendered the cards unusable in that they all carried a balance of $0. Wal-Mart recognized the glitch and made the decision to give people the benefit of doubt by allowing them to purchase against their zero-balance cards thinking that they could recoup the money for the purchase later once the glitch was resolved.
Unfortunately, the looters took advantage of this grace by making purchases which far exceeded any balance they could possibly have for the month. Once the glitch was resolved, Wal-Mart discovered that there were people in line who had very little remaining on their cards, yet there they stood with a shopping cart loaded with $200 worth of groceries expecting Wal-Mart to allow them to walk out of the store with the loot.
The part that really sucks is that my grocery costs will now go up to help offset the loss that Wal-Mart has now incurred. And next month, these looters will have their same monthly allotment recharged onto their cards courtesy of my wallet.