EBT jerk

[iPanda]

A woman was buying some food with EBT/food stamp and the employee checking her out insulted her over it :C

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/article/1...ng-Food-Stamps

[PepperElf]

I'm wondering what items were ringing up as not covered, or why they weren't.

I know she told him they were covered but ... is this something the computer kicks back or something the cashier has to manually put in?

I mean, his comment was rather rude... but I do wonder what items were ringing up and why they were ringing up etc....

[csquared]

They "went back and forth about this for half an hour" before a manager got involved? I would not have wasted 5 minutes before insisting a manager review it, whether I was the customer or the employee. Something is not adding up.

[Dreamstalker]

Our registers don't tell us what in the order isn't eligible, just that something isn't (usually hot prepared foods and any nonfood items).

[Aethian]

Thats what I'm wondering DreamStalker. When I used to work at a grocery store, some of the deli was covered but a lot of it wasn't. Maybe ringing it up under a generic code made something ineligible when it was supposed to be eligible?

[Dreamstalker]

That's possible.

There's no way (as with WIC) to tell the computer ahead of time; EBT is just a method of payment. The only way we know that an order paid for with EBT has not-allowed items is that the customer has a remaining balance.

I'm now wondering if the cashier was trying to tell the customer at the outset what she could and couldn't buy.

[Aethian]

If he had said something along the lines of, "I don't think this qualifies" this wouldn't have made very many waves. The fact that he made the jab of working and not needing assistance it what threw the cashier as well as Kroger into hot water.

I wondering if their is a list somewhere or if a list is given when people get approved for assistance.

[PepperElf]

That's possible.

There's no way (as with WIC) to tell the computer ahead of time; EBT is just a method of payment. The only way we know that an order paid for with EBT has not-allowed items is that the customer has a remaining balance.

This is making me think that at the end of the transaction she saw the balance due and started arguing with him.

They "went back and forth about this for half an hour" before a manager got involved?

Was this in another article or a video on the page? (I don't have flash enabled on safari)

Cos if that's true then ... I see what she's doing in the transcript version. She's trying to make it sound like she said "It qualifies" and that the employee immediately jumped down her throat with insults.

But with those 2 quotes in mind... it sounds a bit more like she pitched a battle with the employee until his brain-to-mouth filter failed.

I know he shouldn't have said it... but I also know from the stories here, that sometimes it happens, where the customer fights until the employee is crying or spitting mad.


and at this point i'm wondering if that was her plan - wearing him down until he gave in, or she had something to use against him. Because she too, could have demanded a manager vs arguing with the cashier. But now that he mouthed off back at her, she can use that against him.

[Dreamstalker]

I think there's a list given to applicants of what they can and can't use food stamps for; the store doesn't have one. I know you can't use it for hot food, nonfood, lottery and cigarettes (doesn't mean people don't try).

This is making me think that at the end of the transaction she saw the balance due and started arguing with him.

I've had that happen before; usually all I have to do is point out the ineligible items and offer to void them if they don't have the cash. If they get belligerent I call a manager over or another customer (who they can't complain about ) tells them off.

I'm betting that she didn't think she needed to pay anything extra and somehow thought the employee made that happen, so decided to 'punish' him.

[DerangedHermit]

Our registers don't tell us what in the order isn't eligible, just that something isn't (usually hot prepared foods and any nonfood items).

Sure it does (unless you manage to have a different register system up there, but I doubt it). When you look at the monitor screen or reciept, asterisked items indicate food items, T means taxable items, and H is for HBA stuff that's covered with the health insurance spending accounts.

[Mike Taylor]

Bottom line is that this guy was an ass and spouted off without knowing her full situation. The machine didn't humiliate her, the store manager did.

[Kristev]

Agreed. This judging people who're on some form of public assistance really needs to stop. On every front.

[PepperElf]

Bottom line is that this guy was an ass and spouted off without knowing her full situation. The machine didn't humiliate her, the store manager did.

No one here is saying that he was right in what he said.

However when a customer and employee argue for apparently 30 minutes over something, it's hard to lay complete blame on only one person, especially when most of the facts are coming from only the customer.

was he wrong to let his temper get the better of him? Yes.

Does he deserve to be fired (IIRC I've heard that's what she wants now)? I don't think so myself. If his outburst had come say, 30 seconds into the argument - the way her description of it tries to suggest - then sure, fire him since he's completely rude. But since the outburst seems to have come later after both sides argued for a bit... then that's a bit overkill.