would you use FS if you know the cashier?

ElTam

Tue, Dec 18 2012, 2:56 pm

It would depend on how well I knew him or her, and if he/she was a yenta. (What is the male form of yenta?)

Unless you know this person to be the kind of person to spread stuff around, I wouldn't worry about it. In this economy, plenty of people need food stamps. People have lost jobs. It takes time to find a new one, etc.

Plus, when you are cashier, you are focused on keeping the line moving and making correct change, etc. Unless you are a total yenta, it doesn't even register (pardon the pun) how people are paying unless they are running up a huge store credit and don't pay it off when it's due.

I worked in stores in high school and college, and honestly, the only people we ever talked about where the ones who were really rude/mean or smelled really bad. So I wouldn't worry.

shiffycc

Tue, Dec 18 2012, 11:13 pm

roch84 wrote:

I'm just a little confused-- if a person has the funds to pay for groceries, why are they on food stamps?

Food stamps don't pay for everything. As far as I understand it, it is like a debit card with a specific amount of money(according to your need) and is meant to offset the food expenses. I think in most places they don't tell you what you can buy with it either, so if there's a big sale on chicken, and I want to stock up, I can, but then I have to pay for the rest of my groceries that month with other money. Maybe its a credit crd that I have for emergencies, or cash to pay the babysitter and ill have to find some more(borrow or whatever). Just because someone is on food stamps doesn't mean that they have absolutely NO money, just that they are not able to meet their basic expenses with what they are earning.

Runner18

Tue, Dec 18 2012, 11:28 pm

Got it, thanks for the clarification.

I was confused because in my mind, someone who needs to be on food stamps presumably has a very detailed budget and wouldn't be able to just pull out cash that had been earmarked to pay for a different important expense.

shiffycc

Tue, Dec 18 2012, 11:38 pm

roch84 wrote:

True, but im guessing that op is saying something to the effect of "if you walked up to the cashier with the food you NEED for your family, and saw that it was the snotty rich girl who sat behind you in sem(!?), would you take the cash you have to pay your phone bill so that you don't have to use your food stamps and deal with her sneer?". Or maybe more likely, "if I did the above, am I being silly?". Or maybe even " I did the above. Now I feel stupid. Tell me that there are others out there who would have done the same thing!"

All and all, I think its a reasonable question.

StrawberrySmoothie

Tue, Dec 18 2012, 11:44 pm

shiffycc wrote:

roch84 wrote:

If the snotty rich girl is now a cashier I would not be too concerned with her opinion of my foodstamps. Just saying.

shiffycc

Tue, Dec 18 2012, 11:57 pm

StrawberrySmoothie wrote:

shiffycc wrote:

roch84 wrote:

If the snotty rich girl is now a cashier I would not be too concerned with her opinion of my foodstamps. Just saying.

...hence the question mark/exclaimation point after the statement...I was fishing around for an example.

amother

Wed, Dec 19 2012, 12:02 am

You just need to do it. Then you get used to it. But there are always exceptions. It's like buying pads or bdika clothes. It's embarrassing at first but if you need it, you do it.

I am on WIC. I have no problem going to the regular store to pick up things with WIC checks. But I was once in a situation where my 8 year old niece was with me and I did not feel comfortable using the WIC checks to buy milk. I scrounged some cash. A cashier has seen everything and really doesn't care. An 8 year old, on the other hand, would probably start asking too many questions...

amother

Wed, Dec 19 2012, 12:50 pm

OP

If Im just buying one or two small things, I would pay with cash.
DH knew the cashier in one store so we went to another register so he didnt see us BH.
I was doing a large order and met a few people I knew in the store. I kept shopping for a while till I was sure they left before I went to pay. There was no way I could pay for that order with cash.

And to the amother who compared FS to buying pads and bedika clothes, I'm embarrassed about that too. I only buy bedikah clothes in the mikvah, not in any store. And I only buy pads in a large supermarket

amother

Wed, Dec 19 2012, 10:42 pm

mommyof2boys wrote:

with all due respect to both sides of opnions I have a question for the OP and also for everyone else:

what is the reason for embaressment?
1) you are ashamed that you cannot properly support and feed your family
or is it 2) you dont really deserve food stamps but somehow you feel entitled and qualified.

OP if you really and truly need food stamps I dont see why it would be embaressing. people would be happy for you that you are getting the help you need to feed nutritious foods to your family.

I personally would feel very embaressed in your given scenario more so because it sounds like you dont want your friends knowing you are on food stamps because then maybe they would question if you are scamming the government?

I'm on FS and I'm not scamming the gov. at all. I have advanced degrees and used to have a well-respected job but I lost my job due to the recession. I didn't want to tell my friends that I was laid off, so I've been obfuscating my situation for some time now. I'm a single mother and I'm living on next to nothing. I absolutely need the FS. That said, I'm older and have more education/experience than most of my friends - and I even help them write resumes/get job, etc.-- I would be mortified if they knew that I need this crutch right now.

disneyland

Sun, Dec 23 2012, 2:35 am

I grew up using fs and it's actually quite embarrassing, sometimes I had to stay in the line next to my mother and the cashier was someone I didn't know and I was still feeling embarrassed. I think it is normal to feel that way. Now if I needed to go on it, I would and actually be proud to because I would be thinking that I am giving support to my family and I think that is how my mother looked at it back then. But if you can I would go somewhere (if I could) where no one knows me. (to be more comfortable.)