EBT (food stamp card in California)
doesn't cover:
- Household items: toilet paper, soap, cleaning supplies etc.
- Medicine, medicinal supplies
- Liquor products
- Tobacco products
- Certain cold prepared foods/hot foods
- May not be accepted at small stores that mainly sell liquor
If half the store's gross income comes
from the sale of liquor, then you probably can't use your EBT card
there. I also found out certain POS systems will not accept EBT such
as Clover, Square, etc.
Only now have Amazon and WalMart opened
up their stores for online purchase using an EBT card but it's not
clear how people will pay for delivery and extra charges. Many people
can't afford to order food online and have it delivered and the
government is slow to make an exception for EBT card holders.
There are also limits depending what
state you live in and I was surprised to find California excluded
from most of these options.
When I first went to Trader Joe's and
used my EBT card, I just bought food and non-taxable items. No toilet
paper, soap or anything else. It was about $44, which is what I spend
per week for:
- rice
- soup
- vegetables
- fruit
- juice
- milk
- eggs
- salsa, rice mix
- cheese
- meat
- tofu
However, there was a really long line
at the Trader Joe's today and I guess I have to go around noon to
avoid the horrendous wait time.
I went to CVS to pick up toilet paper
and some cleaning stuff like alcohol etc.
When I got there—no toilet paper,
only napkins and baggies, so I grabbed those. There was no rubbing
alcohol or sanitizer, so I grabbed a tiny bottle of hydrogen peroxide
for $1.49. Not too bad. A 3 pack of baby wipes 72 ct. went for $7.29.
The worst prices at CVS? A 50 ct. brown
lunch bag set for $3.09 and 1 pack of napkins 40 ct. for $3.29. Big
time rip-off. But I figured in case I ran out of toilet paper it
would be necessary.
All together my semi-necessary
splurge cost: $16.46.
It was not EBT eligible.
Do cashiers know you're on welfare when
you use the EBT card? YES!
The guy asked me if it was hard to get
the card and I said “No, go through CalFresh.” Then he saw my
card get declined and I think he'll think twice about applying for
EBT now.
Next up, to avoid the hideous lines at
Trader Joes, I went to a small mom and pop shop that used to be a
liquor store. So, I opted to go small and local. Not so great an
idea...
Clover milk whole quart $1.99.
Corn tortillas small pack $1.79.
Toilet paper: $7.99.
$8 for toilet paper? Yes, that's what I
paid because I was on my last roll. Toilet paper by fiora, 264 2-ply
sheets, 12 rolls.
San Francisco tax: 8.5%
Total purchase: $12.45
Not EBT eligible on their Clover device
(it said it was Declined and unable to process card) but they boasted
an ATM which I didn't use. I think there's a charge to use an ATM on
the EBT card so I didn't bother.
Then I went to another smaller shop in
Nob Hill, which probably gets most of it's sales from liquor because
when I tried to use my EBT card, it was declined.
Eggs: $7.99. Nothing is priced in this
store and the last time I went there for eggs, they were $4.99, so I
know they're ripping people off.
Tomatoes: $5.00 ($1.00 for each tomato
from Mexico)
Total purchase: $12.99 (good
news: no tax!)
So, I seriously had to spend $41.90
for essentials in today's world of COVID-19.
This was an interesting lesson for me
to learn and luckily I have savings to pay for these exorbitant
items.
Trouble is, not everyone has this
luxury.
I live in San Francisco, so all I had
to do was take a small bus ride up (I wore my mask the entire time
while in the bus and shopping, as not everyone did this). The areas I
shopped at were close together, so I didn't have to go far and I
walked all the way down the hill to where I live.
Imagine if you're a person with a baby,
in a baby carriage and other small kids with you—it wouldn't be so
easy and it would likely take an extra 30 minutes per trip to each
store while waiting for the bus, which is another 10-15 minutes per
trip. No way can you do this while working.
Also, take another scenario where you
live in an area devoid of actual super markets such as the Tenderloin
or out in Hunter's Point, where the grocery shortage is well-known
and publicized. You can't use your EBT card in liquor stores. You
would have to use an ATM—assuming that there is an ATM in a bad,
crime-ridden area and that you can afford the extra charge. There
aren't many buses out in those areas either, so it would take twice
as long to get someplace to buy food if those liquor stores will not
accept your EBT card.
It's a rigged system against people who
need social services the most and when the government takes punitive
action against citizens for using food stamps—there isn't much
people can do.
Many state and federal laws have now
put limits on using ATM and cash payments through EBT.
This on top of a massive food shortage
widens the gap between the fed and unfed.
In a country that spends billions of
dollars on corporations and military weapons, this is inexcusable.
It's not like the rich care or help
poor people or average citizens. I tell you, not many can escape the
horrid scrutiny of the rich upon the poor.
This morning, I got a lecture from a
rich person online who had never been on food stamps and they said,
“There should be limits to what you can buy—don't buy junk food!”.
This troll had no idea that I don't buy junk food at all
and really can't eat any donuts, etc. because I have Celiac Disease.
This person unknowingly attacked me when I mentioned that for the
first time in my life, I had to apply for food stamps because of the
COVID-19 crisis.
It's this kind of narrow-minded,
ignorant thinking that has led to punitive measures against the poor
and people who are in need of social services when a broken system
lets them down.
Not everyone is a “welfare queen”.
Your wealth is not self-earned but is dependent on the work of
others, on your families' wealth and government breaks you get—which
are many for the rich and few for the poor.
I wrote a lengthy paper in college
concerning the stereotypes of the poor and the discrimination they
face—oftentimes at the hands of criminals who have taken money from
the poor (see also: rich senators who sold their stocks during the
COVID-19 crisis). Legislators have no business regulating us if they
can't regulate themselves.
My encounter with welfare
discrimination is a mere slight against me and I'm hoping this will
not be long-term for me, though it is a tough reality for many others
around me, including some of my friends. For people who need these
social services the most, it is a disaster to navigate.
Let's not make it any harder on people
who we should be helping, not harming.
We're in this together, let's show some
respect and stop the discrimination.
