CVS and food stamps?

[ladycat00]

Yep, times are getting really rough, and after putting it off as long as possible, I finally had to fill out a food stamp application. :sad:

My question is- if I use food stamps at CVS for the grocery items that generate ECB's, will I still get the ECB's?

[amy s]

good question...does anyone know... I would think that the answer is YES, BUT I dont have a cvs..... Bumping this up for you...

[tenisha]

Yes. Most of them do. You can call their toll free # to see which ones in your area do. The ECB's on food items also still apply when you pay with food stamps. HTH.

[pantherkat]

YES, you will still get the ecb's when paying with food stamps.

Be careful not to mix non-food items that have coupons with food items when paying as the coupon amount will be applied to the food amount and you will pay full price for the non-food item even though you had a coupon.

example - 10 food + 4.99 softsoap - $2 softsoap q. When you give the q and go to pay with the ebt card, you will only have to pay $8 for the food and then you will have an oop balance of $4.99. (obviously food q's would be deducted from food balance). Better off doing separate transactions when this is the case.

I don't know what would happen if you did ebt first and then gave coupons/ecbs for non-food items.....does anyone know?

[pantherkat]

And keep the card away from magnets....then the card has to be manually entered which is a pain! ;-)

[cheesecake]

I just noticed this week where the CVS stores are really advertising the fact that they take food stamps. There were huge yellow signs put up on all the front doors this past week and then little tags along the food aisles. Six months ago a woman checking out in front of me tried to buy some stuff at CVS with food stamps and the cashier was VERY snotty with her, announcing to everyone within ear shot that that store didn't take food stamps.

[shsshorty7]

my cvs doesn't even accept ebt cards.. how do you find out if they do or not?

[ladycat00]

my cvs doesn't even accept ebt cards.. how do you find out if they do or not?

My CVS has signs in the food section that they accept ebt cards.

[loaslaen]

Not all CVS stores accept EBT. Only one of the 3 closest to me do. I emailed CVS about this a few months ago and recommended that they allow all of their stores to accept EBT. I got a reply back that they would review this in their next meeting. One of the points I made was that 10% of Americans are now receiving food stamps and they could be missing business in those stores not accepting EBT.

Just found this article- More retailers say yes to food stamps - USATODAY.com

In its third-quarter earnings report July 8, Family Dollar cited EBT as among the reasons for its success in this economy. Same-store sales were up 6.2% for the quarter, and food and beverages gained the most. Food stamps represent "a significant opportunity for us," said CEO Howard Levine. EBT spending at Family Dollar (FDO) was up 18% from March 2008 to March 2009, says spokesman Josh Braverman.

•About 5,000 of the 7,000 CVS (CVS) stores accept EBT, and the chain is adding more stores "to meet the needs of customers … in these challenging economic times," says spokeswoman Erin Pensa.

I've never seen signs in the food section that they accept EBT so maybe my letter opened some eyes and they are trying to let their customers know that they accept EBT. I haven't checked the CVS stores in awhile that don't accept it, so maybe I'll check back in and see if they're accepting now. That would be AWESOME news if they do!

If one of your stores doesn't accept EBT then call and let them know that you would like for them to. They already have the equipment, they just have to file the proper paperwork and get the machines online. With the EBT cards instead of the old paper stamps, that money instantly goes to their account instead of them having to "cash them out" so it's as good, if not better than other forms of payment. I'm finding that alot of the pharmacy stores also have prices comparable or cheaper than grocery stores these days too, and the store perks (ECBS, RRs, etc) make it even better.

[loaslaen]

I don't know what would happen if you did ebt first and then gave coupons/ecbs for non-food items.....does anyone know?

IME, once you pay with EBT, they can't take any coupons or ECBs after that. So you really have to have the math down before you pay.