Food stamps!

[David1961]

I went to the grocery store today, and asked the cashier if I could buy stamps. She must have misunderstood me and said "Yes sir, we accept food stamps". Was kind of funny, but have to admit, I was not exactly "dressed for success". That's one of the perks of ER but sometimes I take it too far. I love wearing T shirts.

 

[Walt34]

I'm generally not allowed out of the house wearing shirts, jeans, or shoes with holes in them so that doesn't happen often to me.

 

[Scrapr]

LOl My Mom walked with a friend for years. They had a route. As they walked they would pick up pop cans for deposit and also trash in the street. At least once she was offered money to "help her out".

I'm doomed. It's genetical

 

[bclover]

I'm generally not allowed out of the house wearing shirts, jeans, or shoes with holes in them so that doesn't happen often to me.

lol, Walt my sons continually argue with me because sorry you can't be seen with me looking like a bum.
Usually it's when we go out to dinner and we go some place like TGIfridays. Holes of any kind are strictly forbidden. Usually I'm picking up the tab so they comply.

Don't even get me started on the ridiculousness of wearing your jeans south of the equator so your underwear show.

 

[Major Tom]

Don't even get me started on the ridiculousness of wearing your jeans south of the equator so your underwear show.

There is a barber here in Oakland who runs the "Pull Up Your Pants Barbershop". He gives out free belts to kids who suffer from the malady you mention.

It's All About That Belt

 

[gayl]

there is a barber here in oakland who runs the "pull up your pants barbershop". He gives out free belts to kids who suffer from the malady you mention.

it's all about that belt

 

[MRG]

There is a barber here in Oakland who runs the "Pull Up Your Pants Barbershop". He gives out free belts to kids who suffer from the malady you mention.

It's All About That Belt

What a story. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[Sunset]

I went to Aldi to pick up some groceries, they have shopping carts where you have to put in a quarter to unlock them.
I drove there in our 20 yr old car, probably didn't shave that day as I often will skip a day.
As I'm approaching the carts and some lady is putting away her cart, so she stops to hand off her cart to me, and I hand her my quarter... which she refuses to accept and walks off

She walked off probably with the illusion of having just helped out some poor old guy.

 

[Sojourner]

Don't even get me started on the ridiculousness of wearing your jeans south of the equator so your underwear show.

Without a doubt, the all-time worst fashion "trend" by a wide, wide margin. Hard to imagine how anyone actually finds this even slightly appealing, desirable... or, in fact, not utterly ridiculous.

Back to the OT, I'm struck by how infrequently I see anyone actually using food stamps at the grocery store these days. Used to notice it on a more semi-regular basis about 20 years ago. I suppose the eligibility and usage requirements for them have been tightened? Or maybe it's because they are issued not as paper vouchers nowadays but in the form of debit/bank cards, so they're less noticeable?

 

[robnplunder]

When I go to restaurants, on my way to and from men's room, someone would mistake me for a restaurant worker. Similar thing happens at golf course. I certainly don't dress for success. Give me the food stamps and I will fit right in at a grocery store.

 

[Moemg]

I see people using food stamps all the time and they pull out their ebt cards from their designer purses .

 

[Gumby]

Or maybe it's because they are issued not as paper vouchers nowadays but in the form of debit/bank cards, so they're less noticeable?

Here in CT, there are no longer any paper "food stamps". The SNAP* benefits are loaded monthly onto an EBT card, which looks and works like a debit card. I don't know for sure, but I suspect most, if not all, other states are the same.

I see people using food stamps all the time and they pull out their ebt cards from their designer purses .

You are far more observant than I. I regularly go to several grocery stores, and I could not begin to tell you how the people around me pay for their groceries. I only know how I pay.



*SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is the modern name.

 

[athena53]

You are far more observant than I. I regularly go to several grocery stores, and I could not begin to tell you how the people around me pay for their groceries. I only know how I pay.

You can still tell. In my areas the monitor facing the customer (and those behind him/her) separates out food-stamp eligible items from others. You can also tell if they swipe the card and then pay for non-EBT items with cash.

 

[W2R]

I went to the grocery store today, and asked the cashier if I could buy stamps. She must have misunderstood me and said "Yes sir, we accept food stamps". Was kind of funny, but have to admit, I was not exactly "dressed for success". That's one of the perks of ER but sometimes I take it too far. I love wearing T shirts.

I always wear t-shirts. I think the dress code for retirees requires them. I can proudly say that none of my t-shirts have holes in them. The only time I wear anything else, is in the coldest month or two of wintertime when I switch over to sweats for a few weeks.

I thought that the term "food stamps" must be obsolete by now that SNAP cards are used. But I am happy to say that I don't know much about either.

 

[Souschef]

I always wear t-shirts. I think the dress code for retirees requires them.

I recently was reading a novel, and there was a passage'"he was dressed like any other retiree, t-shirt, shorts and flip flops".
I cracked up because that is how I dress

 

[MichaelB]

In South Florida, it is not at all uncommon to see people eating at expensive restaurants dressed in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops.

 

[rodi]

My husband has had money put in his coffee cup when he's been out doing architectural drawings. He really hit a low point of sartorial splendor when not only was money put in his dunkin' donuts coffee cup, he was also invited to a church breakfast across the street... Being social, he thought it was because of his sparkling conversation... but when he entered the church he realized quickly it was a soup kitchen type thing. (Being respectful, he went to the priest told him the story, and gave a donation that more than covered his own breakfast and a few others.)

He doesn't dress down that far anymore...

 

[REWahoo]

He doesn't dress down that far anymore...

That's a great story!

 

[Live And Learn]

Back to the OT, I'm struck by how infrequently I see anyone actually using food stamps at the grocery store these days. Used to notice it on a more semi-regular basis about 20 years ago. I suppose the eligibility and usage requirements for them have been tightened? Or maybe it's because they are issued not as paper vouchers nowadays but in the form of debit/bank cards, so they're less noticeable?

Correct - Food stamps are now issued electronically, therefore you don't know when someone is using them.

 

[W2R]

In South Florida, it is not at all uncommon to see people eating at expensive restaurants dressed in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops.

It's all in the type of t-shirt, IMO.

I have nice, new, fitted womens' t-shirts that I wear to places like that.

But I also have old, ugly, sloppy, stained, WAY oversized comfy men's pocket t-shirts that I only wear around the house. Much more comfy.

We have had an unused gift card to Ruth's Chris for two years, that we haven't used because we think maybe we would have to change out of our retiree uniform to go there.

 

[Walt34]

It's all in the type of t-shirt, IMO.

I have nice, new, fitted womens' t-shirts that I wear to places like that.

But I also have old, ugly, sloppy, stained, WAY oversized comfy men's pocket t-shirts that I only wear around the house. Much more comfy.

The things I learn on this forum.

T-shirts have styles! Who knew?

 

[SheitlQueen]

My step father worked in his family owned Buick dealership. One day an old farmer came in that looked like he had come straight from the fields and was dressed like a bum. None of the other sales staff would help him, so my step father did. The man settled on a top of the line, brand new car. And pulled cash out of his pocket to pay for it. The man came in every two years to buy a new car and would not work with anyone other than my step father.

 

[foxfirev5]

In South Florida, it is not at all uncommon to see people eating at expensive restaurants dressed in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops.

Yes indeed. And that's part of the reason it's one my favorite travel destinations. Of course my wardrobe would never win any prizes anyway. Saturday DW and I were helping our son out with a pretty big landscape project. His neighbor came by and I could not help overhearing him say "those people sure can work". Of course he probably didn't see us pull up with the landscape rakes and shovels in the back of our Lexus. Putting us on food stamps would not be much of a stretch.

However we qualified for both welfare and food stamps in 1978. We thought it over for about 5 minutes and declined. One of the best things we did not do. However I still am sensitive to people degrading those that have no choice. It's a tough situation. Sorry about rambling on.

 

[Clone]

Around here we call it the Game- "Homeless Person or College Professor?"

We were on a cruise a year ago, and were making snarky comments to each other about a rather scruffy person that we saw in line. Homeless Person, or College Professor? We guessed college professor. Sure enough, he ended up at our table, and he was a college professor!

 

[ncbill]

I guess I'll never qualify...wear a sport shirt and slacks pretty much daily.

Maybe they'd mistake me for the parking valet at those expensive restaurants...