On Food Stamps? Want Beer or Cigs for $1? Shop At This Florida Store...

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Ummmm, yeah....

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http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_east_hillsborough/plant_city/Store-criticized-for-promotion-offering-beer-and-cigarettes-for-food-stamps-plus-%241

PLANT CITY, Fla. - A new advertisement from a Plant City grocery store is causing some concern. The promotion basically offers to accept food stamps in exchange for cigarettes and beer.

The ad offers beer and cigarettes for $1 for customers who use food stamps to purchase large quantities of meat. The store owner calls it a promotion, but some call it a loophole in the law.

It’s illegal to use food stamps to buy things like beer and cigarettes, but what’s listed in the ad appears to be perfectly legal.

The ad for the Price Buster Food Center in Plant City offers large quantities of meat, such as 27 pounds of beef for $60. The very top line of the ad reads, "EBT & Food Stamps Accepted." If the customer pays just one extra dollar, the store will throw in cases of beer or cigarettes.

The bargain has some customers concerned. “It bothers me. Cigarettes and beer should definitely not be part of a food stamp promotion,” said customer Tina Brodowski.

ABC Action News asked store owner Jeffrey Housholder if the promotion is a loophole that allows customers to use food stamps to buy beer and cigarettes. “Well, they can use their EBT cards, they can use their credit cards, they can pay me cash. It’s all the same deal to everybody,” Housholder responded.

Housholder says he’s not doing anything illegal, and he’s right. The USDA says because the deal is available to anyone, even customers who aren’t using food stamps, and because the beer and cigarettes are a separate charge, it appears to be within the law.

But Terry Field with the Florida Department of Children and Families says that insignificant one dollar charge appears to be just a way to sidestep the law.

“It may not be technically illegal, but it certainly doesn’t seem to pass the smell test,” Field said.

Housholder argues that his store has been hit hard by the economy, and this is just another way to bring customers in.

“Plant City has lost probably about 8 to 10,000 residents in our area. We’re just trying to broaden our advertising and reach out to more people,” Housholder said.

Field says it could lead to misuse of the food stamps program.

“To know that they’re using food stamps to buy food simply because they’re getting a bonus of cigarettes or alcohol, that’s a little problematic,” Field said.

After ABC Action News brought this to the attention of the USDA, representatives said they hadn’t heard of a promotion like this before and they will investigate.

Copyright 2010 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material

[mawilson 2,133]

“It bothers me. Cigarettes and beer should definitely not be part of a food stamp promotion,”

Why not? Who cares how they spend their food stamps? We have no moral

responsibility towards these people, other than to make sure they don't

starve to death - hence the food stamps. If they choose to drink beer

instead, it's no longer our problem.

[Ban Hammer 13,669]

what it sounds like he's doing is making a huge profit on the beef, and and using the beer/cigs as a loss to get people into the store. he's probably doing business hand over fist. legal - maybe. ethical - hmmm...

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

he's probably doing business hand over fist.

If he does, he does that outside the store. I know this place - it's just a block away from the Farmer's Market I go to for my produce. They have some decent BBQ to go from time to time so I stop in every so often and grab me a slab of ribs. I've never seen this place particularly busy - if there are 3 to 5 more people in the store aside from myself that would probably be a lot. Oh, and the meat isn't all that good there. They sell it cheaper than the large grocery chains but as they say, you get what you pay for.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

If people can use food stamps to buy cigarettes and beer they will die sooner and reduce the number of people on food stamps. I suggest we exempt cigs and beer purchased with food stamps from the TAX on both, making them FAR cheaper.

And, you know, they are SMOKERS, those evil people. They just need to get cancer and die and stop polluting OUR air.