Anyone else use foodstamps?

[mommymia]

I am really confused as to how these sales are working with foodstamps. I went today and bought:
9 pkg duracell batteries-27.00
frozen pizza-3.99
frozen pizza-4.50
cheerios snack mix-2.00
frozen mini pancakes-1.50
tax 1.67
TOTAL=40.66

then I used:
9-.75 Q for the batteries-6.75
cheerios Q-.50
sale savings (3.00x3)9.00
TOTAL savings=16.25

well-when I paid it took 1.99 for food stamps-which should have been 11.99 since that was the total of the food purchased. I paid OOP 21.92. It seems like the savings from the non-food items are coming off the food total. This is so wrong. I could see if I bought food items and the savings came off of the food-but I don't eat batteries! I should have paid 11.99 foodstamps and the rest should have been OOP of 11.92. I have learned that from now on I will have different transactions when I have non food items and food items!!

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

[Merczilla]

I think that's right.
Batteries 27.00
coupons-6.75
tax +1.67
= 21.92

I come off .50 on the food at 2.49 that would have been foodstamps.
Food total 11.99
coupons -9.50
total 2.49

I don't know about the .50 cents, but I believe that was right. What was the $3/3 savings for?

If the $9 was supposed to come off the battries, then it would have been:
27.00
-6.75
-9.00
+1.67
total 12.92

Food
11.99-.50 =11.49

If that is indeed the case, I would bring that to the managers attention as something is programmed wrong.

[mommymia]

I think they have the savings programmed wrong. The batteries were on sale if you buy 3 you get 3.00 off. When it credited that it came off the food total instead of the non food total. I am planning on letting them know. Just wondered if I was losing my mind!!

[faeryedark]

To be safe, I always pay for my food seperately, unless it can't be helped. I've hyad the same thing happen and have learned my lesson

[julieandhailey]

My MIL is disabled and I of course do the shopping for her and this has happened to me before too. When you have coupons for food it takes it off of the non-food items and not the actual food items so you end up spending way more OOP. Always separate food from non-food. I learned my lesson!!

[loaslaen]

Yeah, it sounds like they have it programmed as a GROCERY (FOOD) deduction instead of a NONFOOD deduction. I would probably call the store and alert them to that.

julieandhailey, I don't understand how you get that you spend more OOP. If the coupons for food go toward the nonfood items, then you are paying OOP for only the nonfood items and therefore your OOP would be less with the food coupons being applied to them.

Well, thinking about this, I'm assuming that maybe you bought some items for yourself that were nonfood and the savings from her food went toward your purchases rather than the food stamps and thus cost your MIL more in her food stamps benefits than planned. I just don't see how your statement of paying more OOP could be right????

[mzbeers]

I've found it works the opposite @ Wal-Mart. I went once and bought some food and non-food baby items and used lots of coupons for the food items, at the end of the transaction, my cash balance after they ran my card for foodstamps was only a few dollars and it should have been at least $20 or so.

[latte]

and depending on your state (in se idaho)
my experiances
albertsons: coupons on food, i have to pay the tax on the coupons---which has been anywhere from 1.25 -25.00 and up!
fred meyer(or kroger? i hear fredmeyer is linked to kroger): coupons on food, the register charges me for the coupons, then gives cash back---this one i find really odd
example for fredmeyer
yogurt @ 1.50
chicken nuggets @ 3.00
milk @3.00
cookies @ 2.50
totl =11.00
coupons
-1.00 yogurt
-1.00 chicken nuggets
-1.00 milk when you buy cookies
food stamps total SHOULD be 8.00
but charged 11.00 then givin 3.00 cash back(this was justa random example please dont qoute me on any of these prices or coupons used)
walmart: food with coupons, just the coupons come off, and i am not charged tax
walgreens: ive had both the fred meyer exampl, and the albertsons example happen where im given the coupon back incash, or charged the tax
rite aid: food with coupons, total of coupons comes off, have to pay tax
these above examples were all just FOOD ONLY examples

i couldnt comment on the food/non food situation because i always pay for non food separatly


when all is said and done, it always seems to be a ymmv situtation, based upon store, day, cashier

[loaslaen]

Those of you paying separately are missing some major moneysaving opportunities.

[Merczilla]

I don't know about other states, but I don't think tax should be charged at all on food items that are paid for with foodstamps. I know WIC has the tax removed, but I can't remember on foodstamps. It's been several years now and we were only on them briefly after hubby's heart attack. We do not have a state sales tax, but some cities (like one of my local ones) has a city sales tax. Don't know if that makes a difference.