Archived Wic guest

[GoodyNN]

Sometimes that's all people have available to them--local convenience stores.

Okay. Yeah. I'm definitely showing my privilege there. Sorry.

My town definitely is not a food desert, so it seems odd that local convenience stores, where you pay through the nose for that convenience, should be on the approved list.

 

[Sharkhead]

Food Deserts | Food Empowerment Project - http://www.foodispower.org/food-deserts/

Food deserts.
When I lived in NJ, there were urban where you would have to drive ten or fifteen miles to get to a grocery store.

And that is assuming you have a car and the time to go there. Even if grocery stores are closer by to you if you take a bus it can be rough.

I have to take a bus a lot of the time. The bus hours are shit, it doesn't run at all on Sunday or very late. After 4:00 PM it only comes every hour from every half hour even though the stops I use are busy. I work 7-16 minutes away from work if I drove. When I take the bus it takes me an hour and 10 minutes to an hour and 40 minutes. That includes waiting for it and the 5 or so
minute walk from home. Assuming I'm able to catch one 25 minutes after I get off work, of course, otherwise it can get a lot longer. I can't buy (even though I actually can afford it) and carry that much. And what if you have kids with you?! I wasn't on EBT/SNAP or anything like it and I HAD to regularly buy from convenience stores. They were they only things near by. I did not want to. All I could buy was soda, chips, frozen burritos, candy, etc., that is all they have! I actually dreamed of eating bananas, pasta, tomatoes, non-frozen burritos, oatmeal, avocados, carrots and cream, curry, cucumbers, rice, limes, tofu, enchiladas, stir-fry, veggie casserole, potatoes, etc. I was craving that stuff so bad.

 

[Sharkhead]

Okay. Yeah. I'm definitely showing my privilege there. Sorry.

My town definitely is not a food desert, so it seems odd that local convenience stores, where you pay through the nose for that convenience, should be on the approved list.

Where I lived where I had to almost exclusively buy from convenience stores it was not a food dessert by any means, for most people with cars, at least. It was a big city even and is quite famous. There was no bus I could take ( although that comes with some problems too. See above). I was barely living paycheck to paycheck. If I had the capital I would have invested in getting a taxi and loading up on food and shampoo, toilet paper, etc. I just didn't even have enough of a lump sum for that. It sounds so silly, but it was a reality for me and still is for many Americans. I was well aware that I was paying a lot more overall and usually getting back less in quality and quantity to boot. I hated it. For example I would have to spend 1-2 bucks for one shitty roll of toilet paper and so on. But that was all I could do.

It takes money to make money and it takes money to save money. It is expensive being dirt poor. 😵

 

[CoolLife24]

Fuck the process they need to make it a card and just not have that’s whole process of scanning the check typing the info and all that useless shit and just swipe a card and be done after the transaction it’s a tedious process!

 

[TargetScanMan]

Fuck the process they need to make it a card and just not have that’s whole process of scanning the check typing the info and all that useless shit and just swipe a card and be done after the transaction it’s a tedious process!

Current process, though quite mildly more work than a routine transaction until one gets used to it, is quite efficient as checks indicate right on them what is permitted therefore no potential argument.

Additionally cashier must check ID and [goldenrod] documentation and compare signatures and visual identity. That's not likely if automated.

Comparitively, processing a WIC transaction is substantially less tedious than routine transactions in which one (cashier) must scratch/peel gift card access, hard sell RedCard, etc.

 

[dannyy315]

New York State is getting Wic cards in 2019. Thank god.

 

[CoolLife24]

LOL the guests feel bad when they have 20 gift cards to use for their birthdays and i have to scratch every card and then I tell them how other guests can wait because its their cards their money like tf is wrong with people in line

 

[dannyy315]

LOL the guests feel bad when they have 20 gift cards to use for their birthdays and i have to scratch every card and then I tell them how other guests can wait because its their cards their money like tf is wrong with people in line

Tell the guest that they can add all the gift cards to the target app and they can be applied with a single scan. It makes things more convenient for everyone.

 

[CoolLife24]

yeaa i always do and make sure their credit card is also attached

 

[Poofresh]

it annoys me that WIC gives customers to get a 16 ounce bread. THERES LITERALLY NONE IN MY STORE. It's all 12, 20 or 8 ounce. Then they go to cashier to ask us to get one for them when we told them we dont have one. And our GSTL wont even ring up two 8 ounces to equal 16 ounce.

 

[commiecorvus]

it annoys me that WIC gives customers to get a 16 ounce bread. THERES LITERALLY NONE IN MY STORE. It's all 12, 20 or 8 ounce. Then they go to cashier to ask us to get one for them when we told them we dont have one. And our GSTL wont even ring up two 8 ounces to equal 16 ounce.

If your store doesn't carry items that are on the WIC list they can lose the right to do WIC.
There are auditors who come through and check.
You might want to mention this to the ETL.

 

[Hope4Future]

On Monday, I had a WIC guest with multiple checks. The only problem was the 16-oz. cheese would not go through and the SETL did not override it. We tried everything to fix the problem from another brand of 16-oz. cheese, to even moving to another register, but no matter what, the cheese would not go through. The guest obviously became aggravated and exclaimed that in a similar previous instance, the "manager" just overrode it, probably through requisition or regular override. Finally, another cashier helping me decided to get around this by scanning the WIC-approved gallon of milk the guest was also buying again in place of the cheese.

I do sympathize with the guest because obviously, they want to get the full value of the WIC check and we only have a few types of cheese that is 16 ounces. The check even states something along the lines of "Cheese 16-oz. Any Brand" so it's odd that both of the cheese we tried were denied. It's just that this was all done under my numbers so I'm wondering if this will fall onto me as WIC is serious business and I'm sure our store doesn't want to lose it. WIC is actually one of the reasons I'm glad that I'm mostly on self-checkout so I don't have to worry about it too frequently.

 

[GoodyNN]

That's a total of 16 oz of cheese, not a single 16 oz block. So they can get 2 8 oz blocks, and I think maybe they can buy shredded as well. But whatever brand they buy, it *has* to be the lowest priced brand. You cannot buy Kraft if the store sells a house brand. Even if the store is temporarily out of stock.

Over-rides on WIC is an absolute no-no and can cost a store the ability to process WIC transactions at all. And I'm completely confused about this subbing milk for cheese - that's also a not allowed.

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I had a guest last week come in with someone else's benefits package and checks, and refused the transaction. I always have my guests sign after I've checked their items against the voucher, before I start putting anything into the computer. And the signature didn't match the identity booklet. So I asked for alternate ID, which is permitted under what I was taught were WIC rules (both as a prior recipient and as a cashier). She refused, and then said it was her sister's account. I noped right outta that one. Benefits are non-transferrable and I was not about to get any of us - including the real recipient - in trouble. On top of it, the name on the check was a typically male name. Left a note for AP just in case.

 

[Hope4Future]

That's a total of 16 oz of cheese, not a single 16 oz block. So they can get 2 8 oz blocks, and I think maybe they can buy shredded as well. But whatever brand they buy, it *has* to be the lowest priced brand. You cannot buy Kraft if the store sells a house brand. Even if the store is temporarily out of stock.

Over-rides on WIC is an absolute no-no and can cost a store the ability to process WIC transactions at all. And I'm completely confused about this subbing milk for cheese - that's also a not allowed.

------------------

I had a guest last week come in with someone else's benefits package and checks, and refused the transaction. I always have my guests sign after I've checked their items against the voucher, before I start putting anything into the computer. And the signature didn't match the identity booklet. So I asked for alternate ID, which is permitted under what I was taught were WIC rules (both as a prior recipient and as a cashier). She refused, and then said it was her sister's account. I noped right outta that one. Benefits are non-transferrable and I was not about to get any of us - including the real recipient - in trouble. On top of it, the name on the check was a typically male name. Left a note for AP just in case.

What I meant was that I scanned another milk in place of the cheese the guest wanted. I will also remember that about the lowest brand and that it has to be a total of 16 oz., not one 16 oz. block. Thanks for your help Goody.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

What I meant was that I scanned another milk in place of the cheese the guest wanted. I will also remember that about the lowest brand and that it has to be a total of 16 oz., not one 16 oz. block. Thanks for your help Goody.

Yes, that’s a big no no. We HAVE to follow exactly as POS says when it comes to wic, or we lose our license. If the guest has issues, tell them to take it up with the state’s WIC agency

 

[GoodyNN]

What I meant was that I scanned another milk in place of the cheese the guest wanted. I will also remember that about the lowest brand and that it has to be a total of 16 oz., not one 16 oz. block. Thanks for your help Goody.

That is a ticking time bomb right there. You cannot exceed the limits allowed on the voucher, even if POS lets you scan it. POS knows what items are allowed in the program, it doesn't talk to the WIC voucher system to know how much an individual voucher permits. And the specific items and quantities are based on the client's needs as determined by the agency. It is the cashier's job as a representative of the redeeming store to ensure that the client does not exceed the approved limits. Scanning an extra milk, even if they didn't actually receive it, is a violation of the program.


Also, I stopped in my store today to shop. NONE of the 16 oz blocks are marked on shelf as WIC approved, only the 8oz. And none of the shreds, either. I forgot to check slices.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

That's a total of 16 oz of cheese, not a single 16 oz block. So they can get 2 8 oz blocks, and I think maybe they can buy shredded as well. But whatever brand they buy, it *has* to be the lowest priced brand. You cannot buy Kraft if the store sells a house brand. Even if the store is temporarily out of stock.

Over-rides on WIC is an absolute no-no and can cost a store the ability to process WIC transactions at all. And I'm completely confused about this subbing milk for cheese - that's also a not allowed.

------------------

I had a guest last week come in with someone else's benefits package and checks, and refused the transaction. I always have my guests sign after I've checked their items against the voucher, before I start putting anything into the computer. And the signature didn't match the identity booklet. So I asked for alternate ID, which is permitted under what I was taught were WIC rules (both as a prior recipient and as a cashier). She refused, and then said it was her sister's account. I noped right outta that one. Benefits are non-transferrable and I was not about to get any of us - including the real recipient - in trouble. On top of it, the name on the check was a typically male name. Left a note for AP just in case.

No, the guest does not have to purchase the “house brand” or the lowest priced option. As long as it meets the WIC criteria the guest can purchase the item.

 

[Hope4Future]

Yes, that’s a big no no. We HAVE to follow exactly as POS says when it comes to wic, or we lose our license. If the guest has issues, tell them to take it up with the state’s WIC agency

I'm in agreement with you and my SETL even said that she can't override it, and now I realize that the check probably required 2 8-oz. cheeses to equal 16-oz. in total. I just wish the check was clearer in that case since it said 16-oz. of any brand of cheese.

That is a ticking time bomb right there. You cannot exceed the limits allowed on the voucher, even if POS lets you scan it. POS knows what items are allowed in the program, it doesn't talk to the WIC voucher system to know how much an individual voucher permits. And the specific items and quantities are based on the client's needs as determined by the agency. It is the cashier's job as a representative of the redeeming store to ensure that the client does not exceed the approved limits. Scanning an extra milk, even if they didn't actually receive it, is a violation of the program.


Also, I stopped in my store today to shop. NONE of the 16 oz blocks are marked on shelf as WIC approved, only the 8oz. And none of the shreds, either. I forgot to check slices.

The cheese the guest in question wanted to buy were 16-oz. slices so I'll check that to see which of them are labeled as WIC-approved.

 

[IWishIKnew]

No, the guest does not have to purchase the “house brand” or the lowest priced option. As long as it meets the WIC criteria the guest can purchase the item.

Sometimes it's explicitly not the cheapest/house brand option that they are required to get *cough*formula*cough*.

Drives me nuts, actually. It's either a waste of money or limits what people can get for the same amount of $$. If they were given, say, $6 for cheese and could choose what they want up to that price it would make ever so much more sense. But no. That wouldn't punish poor people enough, so we can't have that.

 

[Hope4Future]

Getting real tired of WIC because I had another crazy situation last night. A guest had a check that said "2 11.5-12 oz. juice" (probably the frozen canned juice), but insisted they wanted the 64 oz. orange juice (in a carton). I told her that it didn't match what was allowed on the check and called the SETL over. He said to just allow it as long as the POS didn't say the item was not WIC-able. The 64 oz. orange juice went through and the guest got that instead of the 11.5-12 oz. juice they were supposed to get.

With these kinds of violations being allowed at our store, I'm surprised we haven't lost the ability to accept WIC yet. It's just unbelievable what my SETL allows guests to get away with. I just needed to vent about what happened with this guest last night.

 

[jackandcat]

Our store lost WIC some time ago but I recall the frustrations quite well. Some other Targets in our metro area are still WIC eligible and on a couple of occasions they've come through my line with a full cart of WIC-ables, only to learn that our store can't process any of the WIC stuff. Sad.....

Keep in mind that different states have different rules on specifics of the WIC program.

 

[redeye58]

In my state stores like Target (who aren't primarily grocery stores) can't accept WIC unless it's a superT.
Anti-competition laws forbid non-supers from accepting WIC if they're within a certain distance of a regular grocery store.

 

[jackandcat]

Hadnt thought about the anti-competition laws but we have had other grocery stores within walking distance for many years. Since we lost WIC, one of those stores actually relocated further away. Ours isn't a SuperT, and I actually don't think we have any SuperTs in our district (part of the pacific northwest).