Dear Walmart Food Stamp Hater,
I caught the video you starred in this week at your local Walmart and I must say, I’m really disappointed. I wish I could say I am disappointed in your acting skills, but the sad truth is, you weren’t acting. It was clear when you waved to the camera that you meant every last drop of the trash that fell out of your mouth as you berated a man purchasing groceries with food stamps for his family.
It’s really awesome that you put yourself through school, but you know what? So have countless other people who still find themselves in the same situation as this man: working 50+ hours a week, or two jobs to pay for their family’s needs.
I’m 32 years of age, college educated, and I have built, from the ground up, everything that I have, just as I’m assuming you have too. I pay over-the-top health insurance premiums because of my “middle income” status just as I am sure you do too. I pay to put food in my family’s stomach with my hard earned money, again, just as I am sure you do too.
However, that’s where our similarities end.
While I work exceptionally hard to provide for my family, I also have something that you seem to lack: empathy.
I would never, ever, condemn another person for using food stamps, or any form of government assistance. I would never verbally attack another human being for being in a situation where they’re forced to ask the government for assistance. I assumed this was standard practice, but as you so loudly demonstrated- it’s apparently not.
Lady, this man was at Walmart– NOT the strip club using “your tax dollars.” He was buying food for his family.
Are you familiar with how food stamps work? I was an employee in a grocery store for five years and many people came through my check-out line on the SNAP program with EBT cards. Do you know what individuals with EBT cards are allowed to purchase? Wait for it…..FOOD!
Do you know that there are pretty strong restrictions on what a person can purchase with their EBT cards? You cannot buy toothbrushes, toothpaste, laundry detergent, vitamins, medicine, personal hygiene products, nor the more obvious items like tobacco and alcohol.
WHAT YOU CAN BUY IS FOOD.
As a woman who has rung up groceries for hundreds, if not thousands of customers with EBT cards, allow me to let you in on a little secret: Not one person that removes their EBT card from their wallet does so with a smile on their face. In fact, the majority of the time, the customers’ that came through my line with EBT cards asked very discreetly, prior to my ringing up their groceries, if our establishment accepted EBT/SNAP/WIC. Why? I’m going to go ahead and guess because they were embarrassed.
After witnessing your horrendous behavior, I can understand why.
If I’ve learned anything in my 32 years on this planet, it is that NOTHING is ever permanent. Aside from the tattoos on my body, nothing in my life has stayed the same. From relationships, trials and triumphs- nothing is ever permanent. This sentiment also falls true in my profession. I have hit every high and low as a business owner, and make no mistake, while my life happens to be financially stable at certain times, I never once allow myself to become too comfortable in that place- because tides change and storms weather. I’m wise enough to know that at any time, my family could be hit with something catastrophic that might send our finances into a downward tailspin. I’m sage enough to know that at one point, I might need someone’s help.
That man you verbally annihilated with your words at the Walmart check-out, what do you know about him? What do you know about his family; what do you know about that sweet little boy who was sitting innocently in that shopping cart while you loudly, and publicly, put his family on blast?
Don’t answer that, because I already know the answer. Nothing. You know nothing about him, his wife/girlfriend, nor his child.
You don’t know if his child suffers from some illness that costs his family half his pay-check each month in medication. You don’t know how hard he works or doesn’t work, you don’t know how he was raised, you know nothing except the mere fact that he uses something that you seem to feel quite strongly about: food stamps.
While millions of us watched that video and all had that same realization (how awful your behavior was, and that we know nothing about that man and his family), we did, however, learn a lot about you. You showed us how much hate you have in your heart. I don’t use that word lightly, but I really cannot think of another word to describe what you did to that man and his family other than “hateful.”
You reminded millions of us that there are people out there like you who are only capable of thinking about their life choices, their life circumstances, and how the world is doing THEM wrong. You reminded us about the selfishness of man, and that “Love thy neighbor” is clearly a philosophy you either didn’t learn, or don’t care to practice.
I respect the fact that each individual sees flaws in our system; hell, I even do. However, it takes a really low person to box someone into a corner (literally) and berate them in front of others while they purchase food for their family.
I hope you watch that video of yourself and maybe see yourself through the lens of a family who does everything within their power to make ends meet, a family who loves unconditionally, but for one reason or another cannot make it work, no matter how hard they try.
I hope that no one speaks to you in the same manner in which you spoke to that man, because truly- no person deserves to be torn apart in the way you shattered that family with your words. Most of all, I hope the young boy in that video doesn’t grow up to think that the rest of the world is as hateful as you are, because we most certainly are not.
**
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Thank-you so much for reading. xo- Smash
That lady is a MORON! I agree, she knows NOTHING about that man! He could very well have a job AND receive public assistance, in which tax money is deducted from his paychecks as well…the exact same as hers! She’s just a miserable beast, who thrives on spreading the hate that feeds her heart (if she has one), and boils her blood. I almost feel sorry for her bcuz every morning she wakes up full of contempt. Must be exhausting to b so miserable, EEW!
I don’t talk about this often…if at all, but I was on assistance a few times in my adult life. The first time was back in 2009 when our mortgage company screwed us and forced us to almost lose our home and at that same time, my husband, who is a hard working union employee was laid off because construction can to a screeching halt. It was the most humiliating time in my life. Just like you mentioned, I often hid it and slid it to the cashier or discretely took it out of my wallet to swipe it. As you know, my husband and I are extremely hard working and to be put in a situation where we had no money to pay for food in order to take care of our family, it’s as hard as it is humbling. I have also had to make a few visits to a food bank. I kept telling myself, “at least we have a roof over our heads” and it is something that I make sure I can do every day. It’s not easy at all. I came from a middle class family and I considered myself to be middle class. After the economic crash, I became a low-income family and with that also came the negative stereotypes. I thank you for putting this out there because you hit the nail on the head with regards to empathy. More people need to look deep within their souls to find it.
This is heartbreaking. Everyone needs some kind of help in their lives at some point, we all have struggles. This is just one struggle people face. I really hope she never falls short in life. Also, a college degree does not make you immune to things. People with college degrees lose their jobs and struggle too. This is just so sad. Thank you for posting and standing up for what is right.
This made me cry. I have been poor. I have been that dad. I would have been mortified if someone had said those things to me. I’m literally cringing.
This woman is not only TERRIBLE, but she doesn’t understand how food stamps/welfare even work! It’s a full-time job to apply for and receive assistance, no one is allowed to be on assistance for over 5 years and you MUST WORK or be DISABLED!
I graduated college and had a 6 figure income until I got sick–VERY, VERY, LIFE-THREATENING SICK! I became disabled and could no longer pay for anything-I even lost my house! I hated going on assistance because my parents talked about assistance the same way the woman in the video does. It feels awful to ask for help, but when you have children, you have to feed them! My children were able to eat healthy food until I obtained full disability (which is just like Social Security-it comes from the taxes you paid while working).
No one wants to ask for help, but some of us need it. The taxes you pay out of your paycheck go to you if and when you need assistance.
Congrats if you’re never in this situation; however, if you ever need help, ask for it!
As someone who grew up on food stamps, thank you for this. As a child who spent countless nights homeless, this needed to be said.
Like you pointed out, she knows NOTHING about him. But, we know lots about her. And, in my opinion, she is a miserable human being who finds joy in putting others down-because that’s what makes her feel better. The most heartbreaking aspect of this circumstance? Her own son was also standing there. Awkwardly, and silently: as if HE knew what she didn’t-this is wrong. My heart breaks, because he’s the one who has to go home with her. He’s the one who listens to her rants, which I’m sure she does often. And he’s the one who will be influenced by her the most.
Food stamp judgers really tick me off, especially when they so obviously have no idea how it even works in the first place.
Food stamps aren’t even easy to get and the entire process is so demeaning and difficult to go through. I recall being very pregnant with our second child, unable to go into work at the factory job I had at the time, and my husband trying to get food stamps to keep food in the fridge. They denied the request because his income was over the limit by less than $10. Ten dollars doesn’t put food on the table for a month.
There was also a time when we did actually qualify and received food stamps. We were both working, but he had suddenly been forced to go from full time to part time. The huge income drop meant pay the rent or put the food on the table. The $160 a month they gave us (to feed 6 people btw) was like a life raft until he was able to find a new full time job.
To treat a complete stranger like that – super classy walmart lady -_- Ugh. People like her are the reason I don’t like to go outside.