Ebt in secular stores (trader Joe's)

amother

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 7:18 am

We are extremely strapped for money right now. I lost my job a few months ago and my husband has a very low paying job. Thankfully I start a new job in 2 weeks but we built up thousands of dollars of debt from these past few months just from basic necessities.
We got approved for food stamps. I'm so embarrassed we never were on anything like this and I have a really hard time taking even from the government.
My real question is, is it a chillul Hashem to use the card in non Jewish stores such as trader Joe's?

amother

Topaz

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 7:28 am

Why would it be? Millions of Americans have it, you're not stealing.

amother

Hawthorn

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 7:28 am

As long as you don’t walk in with Gucci clothing and Prada bags and a bugaboo stroller it’s totally fine.

amother

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 7:31 am

amother Hawthorn wrote:

As long as you don’t walk in with Gucci clothing and Prada bags and a bugaboo stroller it’s totally fine.

I don't own anything near those things but I do have a bunch of little kids. I don't know. I guess maybe I'm projecting my own shame outwards.

(is it okay to buy treats for the house with ebt money? Do I have to buy only healthy things?)

Thanks for your responses

scintilla

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 7:35 am

Absolutely not, buy whatever you would buy regularly. I have used my ebt card at trader Joe's and a big chain supermarket with my cart piled high with all sorts of things, including tjs ice cream and nosh, and no one blinked an eye. It's very common in the general population as well - it's offered so widely because there's such a widespread need for it!

amother

Chartreuse

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 9:59 am

EBT is not a Jewish thing, it's an American thing. What would be a chillul hashem about feeding your family?

mha3484

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 10:05 am

I get where OP is coming from. You think people see you with a lot of kids using EBT and they are judging you for having too many you need benefits. Most people are not paying attention to how your paying and the ones who are just block it out. Try to not let it get to you.

amother

Hotpink

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 10:08 am

I don't think it's a chilul hashem. But I wouldn't load my cart with ice cream and treats and pay for it with ebt. If you genuinely can't afford food you should be buying nutritious food and not junk. Not to say you shouldn't buy any, but it shouldn't be the majority of the cart.

amother

Chartreuse

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 10:10 am

TJs is packed, there are 30 cashiers. They only person who will see you paying with EBT is your cashier. Buy as much nosh as you want (though I wouldn't because I'm dieting). You have nothing to be embarrassed about.

amother

Crimson

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 10:12 am

Ebt doesn’t mean your financially strapped.

I’m still using the ebt cards from the pandemic.

No one knows how you got the card

amother

Khaki

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 10:19 am

amother Crimson wrote:

Ebt doesn’t mean your financially strapped.

I’m still using the ebt cards from the pandemic.

No one knows how you got the card

not everyone got those? Didn’t u have to already meet financial requirements?

amother

Crimson

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 11:14 am

amother Khaki wrote:

not everyone got those? Didn’t u have to already meet financial requirements?

I am not closely eligible for food stamps. They just refilled it with $375 per kid.

I feel like a kid in a candy store, when I go to the store and pick food -paid by Uncle Sam (funded by my tax dollars;))

GLUE

Tue, Aug 30 2022, 11:22 am

Many years ago when Ebt was like monopoly money everyone on line could see you pay with food stamps.

Now it's a card who sees besides the cashier what card you are using? Most people are not paying attention on what type of card you are using.

TwinsMommy

Sat, Sep 10 2022, 11:11 pm

We never qualify for food stamps but we shop in Walmart because it's cheap and since we live in a frum community, the cashiers at Walmart always ask us "are you paying with food stamps? all you people do....." --- "you people" ---- obnoxious. Kind of makes me feel that if we ever WERE to pay with food stamps we wouldn't want to shop there anymore. So I hear you. If you qualify, use it--- and may your situation change soon!

amother

Daphne

Sat, Sep 10 2022, 11:36 pm

I totally understand where you are coming from and felt and feel the same way. Although there are many, many non-jews on food stamps, and I am not doing anything wrong by unfortunately needing them and using them, I still have been subjected occasionally to nasty looks and comments in non-Jewish stores.

Therefore, if I have limited funds on my EBT card, I will use it in the frum stores and pay with credit card in the non Jewish stores.

I will also always use the self check out in a non-Jewish store - if possible - for this reason.