@bradkcrew wrote:

@kisekinecro wrote:

@bradkcrew wrote:

@Dino29 wrote:

There are mystery shoppers who shop at gas stations and use their EBT. I've seen the balances on some of those receipts. Those balances look nice.

Isn’t using SNAP for shops prohibited? Pretty sure I have read that in several guidelines.

Some gas stations have chained - convenance stores, and those C-store accept EBT cards

I am aware of that. I meant using EBT to pay for a shop purchase is prohibited since you are reimbursed. It would be EBT fraud, no?

___________________________________________

Which is why I was annoyed about the $11k balance.

Yes, Mav threw a lot of shade out there. As if he/she has planned and done everthing in life so perfectly. And to judge the poster based on his/her belief there has to be more to the story. Sheesh.

Good for you Johnb964 for taking the high road on that response.

@amyann2 wrote:

Wow, I had no idea that so many mystery shoppers were so lacking in compassion. There are any number of reasons people may need assistance. Suggesting that they're fat and losing benefits would be a good thing is beyond the pale.

@Zek wrote:

Yes, Mav thru a lot of shade out there. As if he/she has planned and done everthing in life so perfectly. And to judge the poster based on his/her belief there has to be more to the story. Sheesh.

Good for you Johnb964 for taking the high road on that response.

@amyann2 wrote:

Wow, I had no idea that so many mystery shoppers were so lacking in compassion. There are any number of reasons people may need assistance. Suggesting that they're fat and losing benefits would be a good thing is beyond the pale.

It seemed like Mavi was blaming John964 for dropping everything to take care of his mother, then in another post (the ‘empathy’ story) (yes, I waded through the whole thing waiting for the empathy part that never came) he said that the moral of the story was to take care of your own relatives.
It’s like he’s lying in wait to cut down certain people he wants to think he’s better than. Best to ignore that sort of thing. It’s all rooted in jealousy and the need to feel like top dog. Not buying that all is so peachy in the lives of people like that.

@Zek wrote:

Yes, Mav thru a lot of shade out there. As if he/she has planned and done everthing in life so perfectly. And to judge the poster based on his/her belief there has to be more to the story. Sheesh.

Good for you Johnb964 for taking the high road on that response.

@amyann2 wrote:

Wow, I had no idea that so many mystery shoppers were so lacking in compassion. There are any number of reasons people may need assistance. Suggesting that they're fat and losing benefits would be a good thing is beyond the pale.

I suppose OP's original inquiry was genuine. When OP shared details from his/her personal life, it seems OP could have drawn a conclusion on his/her own and shared his/her own belief in response to his/her original question.

I don't generally post this reminder in General Chat because of the "anything goes" nature of the conversation, but if someone is not making a positive contribution you can always click on their user name and then click "toggle user visibility" which blocks their posts from showing up.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/02/2025 04:19PM by NinS.

@NinS wrote:

I don't generally post this reminder in General Chat because of the "anything goes" nature of the conversation, but if someone is not making a positive contribution to the conversation you can always click on their user name and then click "toggle user visibility" which blocks their posts from showing up.

Yeah, but I know there are posters who claim to use that "click" but remain in the conversation because they really are inquisitive in ALL of the conversations.

It's like progressive libs and CNN. They know what they stand for isn't right. But they need the affirmation of similar illogical talking heads. Get it?

@French Farmer wrote:

I believe I shall just pass on all of the judgments of those who believe the majority of SNAP recipients are lazy, fat, etc, etc or just put in your judgmental opinion of those who do not have.

In my opinion, the soon to come removal of recipients getting SNAP benefits (SNAP cuts from the BB will cause some folk to add mystery shopping as an augment to their budget.
Who are they?
Farmers who rely on SNAP for much of their income through SNAP using the products they grow.
Local, small town and, large city grocers and their employees.
Even gas stations and their employees.

Those are facts.

I live in one of these areas - I don't think we will see farmers start to do mystery shops - they might do food swaps with other farmers. At this time of year (just after harvest and during hunting season) many of them probably have a freezer full of beef or deer meat. My area also has local farms that produce blueberries, corn, and strawberries. People buy in bulk and deep freeze them to make it last through winter. Most people also garden, and/or have chickens or know someone who has chickens for eggs.

There's not a lot of shops in these areas, so I don't think we will see a lot of rural areas develop a lot of mystery shoppers either. If they aren't able to swap with someone, they'll hit up a church food pantry or a food bank. People in cities or more suburban areas might dip their toes in shopping, just because there are more places to shop in those areas.

@kisekinecro wrote:

@joanna81 wrote:

No, I don't think people will turn to mystery shopping due to SNAP because with the shops, you have to put out the money and wait possibly a month to get your money back. Also the usual fast food that is shopped is not the cheapest - 5 guys or Panda are gonna be at least $10-$15. If people are really tight on cash and have to hit up a restaurant I would imagine they would go to a place like Wendy's or McD's and order off the value menu.

Speaking of this I actually always find it funny how fast food restaurant would accept EBT card at all, like.....why are we throwing money at Mcdonalds and Wendy's when buying food off supermarkets are supposed to be cheaper and heathier and able to fill more stomach to begin with?

I had a friend who was gainfully employed for many years but had an autoimmune disorder that led to her being in a wheelchair and limited her ability to drive to the store and/or cook for herself. She was more than willing to work, and wanted to work, but couldn't. She generally tried to order things like HelloFresh (supplies all ingredients for a meal) and have her caretaker cook, but the caretaker was not always reliable. Being able to order fast food was a blessing for her. She has since passed and I'm glad she's no longer having to struggle with things like this.

@joanna81 wrote:

I had a friend who was gainfully employed for many years but had an autoimmune disorder that led to her being in a wheelchair and limited her ability to drive to the store and/or cook for herself. She was more than willing to work, and wanted to work, but couldn't. She generally tried to order things like HelloFresh (supplies all ingredients for a meal) and have her caretaker cook, but the caretaker was not always reliable. Being able to order fast food was a blessing for her. She has since passed and I'm glad she's no longer having to struggle with things like this.

I am very sorry for her passing, and thank you for this example, it really does make sense and that is one part that I did not think of.

Prediction: this induced shutdown will be over soon after election day (within one week) with D's caving in week-ness...pun intended.

@maverick1 wrote:

Prediction: this induced shutdown will be over soon after election day (within one week) with D's caving in week-ness...pun intended.

We shall see....The longest filibuster we ever had on US history lasted 60 days back in 1964. That filibuster was done by the democrats trying to block the Civil RIghts Act of 1964...

Luckily, that filibuster did not result in govt shutdown

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2025 05:07PM by kisekinecro.

Someone above claims they looked at people's receipts and saw an $11,000 balance.

I can't speak to what someone else saw, but some context: The average monthly benefits are $190. I think we all know exactly how far that goes these days.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2025 05:59PM by NinS.

Fact: "1 in 8 on snap" refers to the fact that approximately 1 in 8 Americans, or about 12% of the U.S. population, receives benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

You can't tell me there isn't significant waste, fraud and abuse in that program. 1 in 8. Well over 12% (actually 40.3%) of the population is classified as obese.

Audit the program!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2025 06:20PM by maverick1.

@kisekinecro wrote:

@joanna81 wrote:

I had a friend who was gainfully employed for many years but had an autoimmune disorder that led to her being in a wheelchair and limited her ability to drive to the store and/or cook for herself. She was more than willing to work, and wanted to work, but couldn't. She generally tried to order things like HelloFresh (supplies all ingredients for a meal) and have her caretaker cook, but the caretaker was not always reliable. Being able to order fast food was a blessing for her. She has since passed and I'm glad she's no longer having to struggle with things like this.

I am very sorry for her passing, and thank you for this example, it really does make sense and that is one part that I did not think of.

It was very eye opening to see what she went through. Accessibility is something I notice all the time now. A trip to a store that doesn't have automatic doors, just getting inside can be a challenge. Then to actually shop and be able to bring out your items is another challenge. Stores like Dollar General that always have items in the somewhat narrow aisles, etc are horrible.

The expenses are a whole other story - a van to transport a wheelchair, 30K. Her house was a 2 story, so she had to get a wheelchair lift installed, and a ramp out the front door, and some other modifications for doorways and such was about 50K. She cleared out her 401K to pay for those things. She had been approved for disability (SSDI) but it would take time for those payments to start. She was getting treatments for the auto immune disorder for a few months, then the health insurance deemed that they were "investigative" and would no longer pay for them, but they did assist with paying for a caretaker.

@maverick1 wrote:

Fact: "1 in 8 on snap" refers to the fact that approximately 1 in 8 Americans, or about 12% of the U.S. population, receives benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

You can't tell me there isn't significant waste, fraud and abuse in that program. 1 in 8. Well over 12% (actually 40.3%) of the population is classified as obese.

Audit the program!

To add some spice into this statement

Below are the data on the ranking for states that are reliant on SNAP program

1 New Mexico 21.49% 457,699 $80,790,060 $176.51
2 Oregon 18.09% 772,893 $140,797,421 $182.17
3 Louisiana 17.49% 803,988 $150,268,544 $186.90
4 Oklahoma 16.91% 692,477 $129,386,266 $186.85
5 West Virginia 15.46% 273,566 $45,886,908 $167.74
6 Nevada 15.21% 496,848 $85,360,880 $171.80
7 Massachusetts 15.08% 1,076,187 $232,066,810 $215.64
8 Pennsylvania 14.97% 1,958,047 $355,777,154 $181.70
9 New York 14.91% 2,962,913 $647,210,404 $218.44
10 Illinois 14.79% 1,879,564 $368,278,250 $195.94
11 Michigan 14.53% 1,473,832 $258,575,524 $175.44
12 Alabama 14.27% 736,178 $142,142,795 $193.08
13 California 13.93% 5,494,318 $1,045,310,679 $190.25
14 Kentucky 12.97% 595,155 $106,498,834 $178.94
15 Rhode Island 12.83% 142,726 $28,680,737 $200.95
16 Florida 12.59% 2,943,012 $535,551,777 $181.97
17 North Carolina 12.48% 1,378,291 $240,858,724 $174.75
18 Ohio 12.21% 1,450,955 $269,917,495 $186.03
19 Georgia 12.13% 1,356,493 $252,417,633 $186.08
20 Mississippi 12.13% 357,042 $64,432,174 $180.46

If you look at top 10 States, 6 of them are blue, 3 of them are red, and 1 is swing state. And that did not count Washington D.C. If we include DC in the statistics, it's actually in 2nd place, right below New Mexico.

Couple other fun fact according to the data released by Department of Agriculture:

States that received highest individual payout: Alaska and Hawaii

States with most expensive SNAP spending: California

Wyoming is the least dependable on SNAP

In short while the media keeps on broadcasting how this lost of food stamp is going to hurt the red states, the data show a far more interesting suggestion.

Source: [smartasset.com]

UPDATE!

"...many SNAP recipients will only receive half as much in benefits as they usually do, the lawyers said.

The government met its deadline of 12 p.m. on Monday to give an update on funding the federal food stamp program, known as SNAP, for November.

U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell previously ruled that the USDA had to at least partially fund the November benefits by using contingency money allocated in federal law “as may become necessary to carry out program operations.”

An excellent way to reduce the obesity epidemic as well. [FIST BUMP!!!]

...because I have not seen a single photo / video / article where a US citizen who relies on SNAP has their ribs showing due to lack of accessible food. However, it is documented that 40.3% of US citizens have overindulged in food sources.

@kisekinecro wrote:

@maverick1 wrote:

Fact: "1 in 8 on snap" refers to the fact that approximately 1 in 8 Americans, or about 12% of the U.S. population, receives benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

You can't tell me there isn't significant waste, fraud and abuse in that program. 1 in 8. Well over 12% (actually 40.3%) of the population is classified as obese.

Audit the program!

To add some spice into this statement

Below are the data on the ranking for states that are reliant on SNAP program

1 New Mexico 21.49% 457,699 $80,790,060 $176.51
2 Oregon 18.09% 772,893 $140,797,421 $182.17
3 Louisiana 17.49% 803,988 $150,268,544 $186.90
4 Oklahoma 16.91% 692,477 $129,386,266 $186.85
5 West Virginia 15.46% 273,566 $45,886,908 $167.74
6 Nevada 15.21% 496,848 $85,360,880 $171.80
7 Massachusetts 15.08% 1,076,187 $232,066,810 $215.64
8 Pennsylvania 14.97% 1,958,047 $355,777,154 $181.70
9 New York 14.91% 2,962,913 $647,210,404 $218.44
10 Illinois 14.79% 1,879,564 $368,278,250 $195.94
11 Michigan 14.53% 1,473,832 $258,575,524 $175.44
12 Alabama 14.27% 736,178 $142,142,795 $193.08
13 California 13.93% 5,494,318 $1,045,310,679 $190.25
14 Kentucky 12.97% 595,155 $106,498,834 $178.94
15 Rhode Island 12.83% 142,726 $28,680,737 $200.95
16 Florida 12.59% 2,943,012 $535,551,777 $181.97
17 North Carolina 12.48% 1,378,291 $240,858,724 $174.75
18 Ohio 12.21% 1,450,955 $269,917,495 $186.03
19 Georgia 12.13% 1,356,493 $252,417,633 $186.08
20 Mississippi 12.13% 357,042 $64,432,174 $180.46

If you look at top 10 States, 6 of them are blue, 3 of them are red, and 1 is swing state. And that did not count Washington D.C. If we include DC in the statistics, it's actually in 2nd place, right below New Mexico.

Couple other fun fact according to the data released by Department of Agriculture:

States that received highest individual payout: Alaska and Hawaii

States with most expensive SNAP spending: California

Wyoming is the least dependable on SNAP

In short while the media keeps on broadcasting how this lost of food stamp is going to hurt the red states, the data show a far more interesting suggestion.

Source: [smartasset.com]

I read elsewhere that NY state alone is 10% of the total US SNAP funding. (I'm too lazy to do the math on your data, but that seems correct.)

@maverick1 wrote:

U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell previously ruled that the USDA had to at least partially fund the November benefits by using contingency money allocated in federal law “as may become necessary to carry out program operations.”
.

Wait...so the party who crying out loud for no king is now demanding "the king" has to give money to people to buy food? You really can't make this @#$%& up.

@kisekinecro wrote:

@maverick1 wrote:

U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell previously ruled that the USDA had to at least partially fund the November benefits by using contingency money allocated in federal law “as may become necessary to carry out program operations.”
.

Wait...so the party who crying out loud for no king is now demanding "the king" has to give money to people to buy food? You really can't make this @#$%& up.

Maybe I missed it, but I'm surprised Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who serves as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hasn't suggested an improved nutritional program for SNAP at reduced funding.

It may happen, ipso facto, by the just announced "program haircut."

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2025 09:00PM by maverick1.

Ok, guess it's time to bat clean up for the one trick ponies.

Following is a list of states that receive more in federal dollars than they contribute in taxes...
What do they have in common?

Rank State Federal Spending per $1 of Taxes Paid (approx.)
1 Kentucky $2.89
2 West Virginia $2.86
3 Mississippi $2.53
4 New Mexico $2.35
5 Alabama $2.00
6 South Carolina $1.84
7 Montana $1.70
8 Arkansas $1.68
9 Maine $1.64
10 Tennessee $1.62

Following is a list of states that pay more in taxes than they receive in federal dollars.
What do they have in common?

Rank State Federal Spending per $1 of Taxes Paid (approx.)
1 New Jersey $0.64
2 Massachusetts $0.69
3 Connecticut $0.71
4 New York $0.80
5 California $0.82
6 Illinois $0.84
7 Washington $0.86
8 Colorado $0.87
9 Minnesota $0.88
10 Delaware $0.89


Sources: IRS.gov, Rockefeller Foundation, Tax Foundation, WalletHub

@maverick1 wrote:

Maybe I missed it, but I'm surprised Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who serves as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has suggested an improved nutritional program for SNAP at reduced funding.

It may happen, ipso facto, by the just announced "program haircut."

Next thing you know the NGO from the left will storm in and complain about how inhuman it is to restrict what can be brought with SNAP, how eating is basic human right, and people should not be forced to choose what to eat blah blah blah"

in fact there's already post and videos on tiktok and reddit complaining about how food banks only have canned food, dried pastas and cucumbers and how they should be getting higher standard food instead...It is free food, where's that "Be greatefui you get something for free"? No you just get plenty of entitled complaints.

Is someone talking off topic here...I can't tell. I only see a big empty space. Please state your point so even a CNN viewer could understand.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

@kisekinecro wrote:

@maverick1 wrote:

Maybe I missed it, but I'm surprised Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who serves as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has suggested an improved nutritional program for SNAP at reduced funding.

It may happen, ipso facto, by the just announced "program haircut."

Next thing you know the NGO from the left will storm in and complain about how inhuman it is to restrict what can be brought with SNAP, how eating is basic human right, and people should not be forced to choose what to eat blah blah blah"

in fact there's already post and videos on tiktok and reddit complaining about how food banks only have canned food, dried pastas and cucumbers and how they should be getting higher standard food instead...It is free food, where's that "Be greatefui you get something for free"? No you just get plenty of entitled complaints.

Well I for one want to see anyone who identifies as a cat or dog to receive cat or dog food.

Like I said...

[www.zerohedge.com]

@BarefootBliss wrote:

Ok, guess it's time to bat clean up for the one trick ponies.

Following is a list of states that receive more in federal dollars than they contribute in taxes...
What do they have in common?

Rank State Federal Spending per $1 of Taxes Paid (approx.)
1 Kentucky $2.89
2 West Virginia $2.86
3 Mississippi $2.53
4 New Mexico $2.35
5 Alabama $2.00
6 South Carolina $1.84
7 Montana $1.70
8 Arkansas $1.68
9 Maine $1.64
10 Tennessee $1.62

Following is a list of states that pay more in taxes than they receive in federal dollars.
What do they have in common?

Rank State Federal Spending per $1 of Taxes Paid (approx.)
1 New Jersey $0.64
2 Massachusetts $0.69
3 Connecticut $0.71
4 New York $0.80
5 California $0.82
6 Illinois $0.84
7 Washington $0.86
8 Colorado $0.87
9 Minnesota $0.88
10 Delaware $0.89


Sources: IRS.gov, Rockefeller Foundation, Tax Foundation, WalletHub

Walk on grand slam. Good Ol’ Mitch knows how to stay in office. Maybe it’s time to divide the country into 2 separate governments - East coast & West coast, (*top to bottom, incl. HI ) and the red states. Each can welcome in their own. This way there would be no need for a 2 party voting system. The angry, fat shaming peeps here should be happy living amongst their own - MAGA. Fat shaming their compadres and telling them what they can’t eat should go over real well.

It’s very hard to take these 2 seriously due to the impractical nature of their suggestions on how to ‘fix’ things. (Besides the fact that one is either a bot or a paid, uneducated disruptor, and the other, is so desperate for friends and validation that they’re commiserating with it.) An example is cutting out food and drink that contains SUGAR - WHICH IS IN EVERYTHING - from allowable EBT purchases. Yeah, let the supermarkets police that. Lol. It’s all ‘pie in the sky’ fantasy, which is never practical or financially attainable. Yet they’re also so good with their own money and are here to help and advise people - out of the goodness of their hearts.

Neither have a dog in this fight - esp. kinki who I’m quite sure is getting free healthcare in HI and pays zero in taxes. Her empathy last 2.2 seconds before she’s back to slamming people, since she’s such a shining example for the rest of us. Just wish she would get hooked on phonics. Maybe take some entry level English classes instead of lurking here and posting laughable broken English nonsense.

Just curious if anyone also did a search on the top employers with employees that are still eligible for SNAP and when that waste, fraud and abuse will be discussed?

From AI:

These companies consistently appear in the top employers of individuals receiving SNAP and other public assistance programs.
Walmart: Frequently cited as a top employer of SNAP recipients.
McDonald's: Consistently ranked among the top employers of workers who receive federal benefits.
Dollar General and Dollar Tree: These discount retailers are often on lists of companies with the most employees on public assistance.
Other major retailers and fast-food companies: Other large corporations such as Amazon, Target, Kroger, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Home Depot, Lowe's, Walgreens, and CVS are also mentioned as having a significant number of employees on these programs.

As far as fraud, waste and abuse - most if not all government agencies have a department that investigates these cases and most have a tip line for people to call in suspected thieves, cheats and abusers. They get their cases from all sorts of places - local police, tipsters, etc. as well they have internal investigators that investigate insider fraud.....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/2025 07:38PM by BarefootBliss.

It’s safe to say that the people who work for all of these companies bust their tails. They were the ‘essential workers’ during the pandemic and still are. They’re on their feet all day and most have physical jobs. Not lazy at all imo. I certainly appreciate them and what they do.

lol mystery shopper is not as popular and alot of people think it's a scam. I've tried to put friends and family on to my detriment and they don't even give it a try. I think we'll be safe

So, since these large corporations aren't paying a living wage to much of their full time staff and thus, their employees qualify for SNAP...and SNAP is paid for by the taxpayers....
defacto, we the people are not only subsidizing the SNAP recipients, but also the large corporations.

Similar to Medicaid.

All is lost in the noise.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/2025 03:40AM by BarefootBliss.