Has anyone tried to buy drinks at your Starbucks using food stamps?

A Fox affiliate in Oregon discovered that customers at a licensed Starbucks store could buy drinks using food stamps. The coffee giant's reaction:

Starbucks, as policy, does not accept food stamp cards for payment at its company-operated stores; however, some of our licensees, particularly those within grocery stores, may accept these for payment. The acceptance of these programs as a form of payment is common within the grocery industry and our licensees are committed to following all laws and rules of the individual programs. When this topic arises, Starbucks continues to communicate to our licensees that we do not recommend this practice.

Baristas: Have you accepted food stamps? Customers: Have you used them for your SBUX drinks? Food stamps are used for Starbucks; outrage ensues

Comments

[Boston Starbucks Conformist]

really? Now we make fun of poor people? cmon Jim, just pull it.

[CoffeeBean330]

No one is making fun of poor people. But come on. If you don't have much money, you don't need to be spending it on a latte.

[Ronald McDonald]

Go to McDonalds.

[James Lamb]

@RM - You can't use food stamps at McDonalds either.

@BSC - I think this is a legitimate and interesting topic that warrants investigation and discussion.

[Jeff Tom]

I think the story is pretty straightforward. HOWEVER, Starbucks coffee is an optional item (maybe even "luxury" item that should NOT be redeemable with food stamps. Those should be used STRICTLY for buying food-based products that provide nutrients. IMO)

[LV]

I don't think anybody should be in charge of deciding which foods those poor enough to qualify for food stamps can buy, because nobody can agree where that should end. Say maybe we stipulate that they can only buy food products which are nutritious. That severely limits how far they can stretch that available money. Junk food is cheaper than most actually nutritious food, and who am I to say someone can buy only a couple bags of fruits and vegetables, rather than 20 boxes of Mac and Cheese, to feed a large family? A family must apportion it how they see fit.

Now obviously Starbucks isn't cheap, so it doesn't make sense to say that they're using it to feed their family. I think we just get angry when we see low income people using the money they receive from the government to indulge themselves, or do things we think would be unwise in their situation. But that reveals a lot about what we think monetary help should do: Is it only money for sustenance? Or is it money to help make their presumably difficult lives richer and more bearable on a day to day basis? Is a charity or a government irresponsible to donate families toys on Christmas when that money could have gone to food or rent for the recipients?

I think that if they want to use 3 dollars out of their food stamps to buy themselves an occasional latte, to make their lives a little more livable, I'm not going to complain.

[Bobby.]

LV - Very insightful post.

[STL_Nick]

LV the problem is you also can't assume that they are buying the "occasional latte" as a partner I have noticed that the vast majority of our customers are regulars, most a few times a week, many come once or twice a day. I certainly don't think the government should be funding peoples addictions wether it is alcohol, drugs, coffee anything.

[Jeff Tom]

Food stamps are supposed to help people buy the foods they need to survive/make ends meeet. Things that are nutritious and/or provide substance. EVERYTHING at SB is optional, and of limited value/nutrition by ANY measure.

Users of food stamps SHOULD be FORBIDDEN to use the stamps on frivilous purchases. Otherwise it is more wasting of $.

[ash_sk8s]

@Jeff Tom - Definite frivolous. Like LV pointed out, there can really be no consensus about what a family should and should not be allowed to buy. In Oregon, what's not allowed is alcohol, cigarettes, non-food items, and food meant for consumption in the store. But like LV said, how can the government say that "no, you can't buy macaroni and cheese because, although it's cheap and can easily feed your family, it has no nutritional value?" It can't, and therefore the policies on food benefits are not going to change.

The only reason these Starbucks are allowing food benefit cards to be used is because they are owned by a grocery store and therefore operating under their policies. So any food at the Starbucks that is deemed to fall under those policies set forth by the state are allowed to be purchased.

[ash_sk8s]

*define, excuse me

[drive]

I have never had a customer trying to pay with food stamps.

About once every three years, someone tries to pay with a travelers' cheque.

[me]

Had two people try to use them today.

[br0k3_b4r1st4]

I work at a Starbucks. I'm not far off from being eligible for food stamps myself. Instead of benefiting from this system, I'm forced to help pay for it. I'm paying for these "government lattes", yet I can barely afford food for myself.

But who is to blame?

My finances?
Trying to make ends meet at $8 an hour and no guaranteed hours per week, a financially stable life is nearly impossible.

Starbucks?
They should police their franchisees better.

The grocery stores?
They're ignorant to the problem as long as they get money.

The government's food stamp system?
So many people scam this system that this almost seems like icing on the cake.

The whole idea of food stamps has been exploited to the point of barely being effective. I have no idea what the answer should be, but the system we currently use is hurting our country more than it helps.

[Herman]

br0k3_b4r1st4 wrote "The grocery stores? They're ignorant to the problem as long as they get money."

Wrong as grocery stores are very knowledgeable as to what is eligible. Their computerized cash registers automatically kick out the non food stamp stuff. Watch the folks in front of you in line. They'll pay for the food stamp stuff with a food stamp debit card and additional cash for the ineligible items.

This is another much ado about nothing as the Starbucks POS system should know what is eligible and what isn't.

[coffeelover]

Great post, LV

[Jeff Tom]

yes, somebody should be in charge of what the stamps get used for, and that should be done as local as possible.

it is an abuse of the system to be able to use this subsidy for frivilous/non-essentials. that is not the purpose for the stamps. God knows they waste these along with a tip, when they could be buying FOOD for themselves and their families.

[Confused as always]

Food stamps are a problem in the first place. Go huntin' Go fishin' The great outdoors await you.

[Martha]

I can't really judge what food stamp recipients use it for, as some weeks/months I only have enough money for bills and maaaaybe $10 left for the month.

And yes, I use that on coffee.

Better to be using it on coffee than, say, cigarettes or alcohol.

[LV]

For everyone who believes that food stamps should not be used for frivolous purchases: I agree, in spirit, but in practice that's hard to legislate. Where do you put grocery store coffee purchases? Can someone buy bulk Folgers for their family with their food stamps, but not Starbucks brand because it's more expensive? What would be the consequences on consumer choice, and what would be the consequences to the profitability of companies that take the chance of making a higher-quality product? In many households, whole bean coffee is a staple. There's a similar debate about whether sodas should be allowed, but we can't stop there - many "juices" have little more nutritional content and just as much sugar and calories as a soda. However, I'd be willing to bet that most people don't stand in line behind somebody using their food stamps for fruit juice and arch their eyebrow.

I guess ideally the food stamps would be used on staples, useful and nutritious food items, and the snacks and indulgences would be taken care of by whatever little disposable income is left. However, if it's something they might get anyway, and using food stamps for it frees up a little more disposable income to use on rent, or diapers, or what have you, then I don't feel the need to judge. Most of us Starbucks employees aren't too far away from poverty territory ourselves, and I would hope someone who knows I make a low income would not stand behind me in line and raise an eyebrow because I bought myself some coffee. Martha admits she sometimes uses her leftover 10 dollars on a coffee, and that's her own money... How many of us, given food stamps, would voluntarily only buy things we thought were useful? Or would we try to sneak a snack or two into the cart?

I'm not trying to say that government services aren't abused, but whenever you give money to relieve people entrenched in poverty who might not have been raised making the wisest life choices to begin with, you run the risk of them using it for items which you personally do not approve. And that's ok, because it's not your money anymore, it's theirs. And the system is in place so that if you happen to lose your Starbucks job and fall on hard times, you can get some assistance to make some good or bad decisions with too.

["Pike is here to stay.."]

Are you seriously writing this on a Starbucks gossip site?

[spence]

Enough with the food stamps.
Thoughts:
My store doesn't seem to be selling as many gift cards as normal.
Via day and Christmas Blend have been very successful.
Qasa tips.
Great manager stories
Great partner stories
Great Customer stories

[Me]

LV, your posts are right on.

[Hello!]

Hahahha

[L]

If the place/person from whom you get any sort of charity has stipulations on how you use that charity, then you either abide by the rules or you stop accepting it.

Starbucks IS a luxury item, and instead of buying junk food, the government SHOULD be able to insist that only healthy purchases are made. If people want to splurge, then don't use the food stamps.

There's a reason why the saying "Beggars can't be chosers" exists.

When you're dependent on someone else for your basic needs, you can't really complain if/when there's a catch.

[Coffee Drinker]

Right. And smokers should be denied health insurance, overweight people should have their food stamps cut, the homeless should sleep outside where they belong, after all, they're all a buncha alcoholics; illegals shouldn't be allowed in Starbucks unless they can prove citizenship (because otherwise they're obviously spending money on "luxury" that should have gone to Americans..."

on and on the fear and greed goes. I have no idea why someone is on "welfare" or "entitlements." I do know that one of my conservative Christian friends, who used to often rail against "entitlement" and "no work ethic" was first in line when Obama extended his unemployments benefits, not once, but twice. I guess welfare is ok if you have a 3 bedroom 2-bath house you live in alone, and a 401K, health insurance...after all, you earned it! Needless to say, when he thought he needed welfare, he took it.

So one person getting a "free" latte at Starbucks doesn't really bother me; I be first to toast them for their good taste and positive thinking.

[Argentius]

LV, thanks for your reasonable insights.

This Fox News story is provocative and disingenuous.

Yours truly has also had furrowed eyebrows at the whole program.

One can use food stamps to buy many dubious items -- from sweetened soft drinks to potato chips.

It seems like many people believe it ought to be a voucher system like WIC -- which provides expressly the items listed on a ticket, such as "half gallon apple juice, 1 lb package of pasta."

Anyone recall the days in which you'd get, quite literally, the government cheese, made from dairy Uncle Sam bought up to stabilize milk prices?

But, it isn't that. Those programs are complicated and expensive to administer.

Ever stood behind someone in a grocery line, using a WIC check?

Instead of "food stamps," think of them as store credit cards, which can be used for anything except for alcohol and tobacco, or whatever.

I'd suspect one of the main reasons it carries on today are, first of all, the effective subsidy this is to local small grocers -- that is to say, the convenience stores which process a goodly chunk of SNAP ("food stamp") program funds on Arizona Iced Teas and Red Vines.

The other would be that cash grants have fallen out of favor -- basically presuming there is another root caust of poverty, that the poor cannot make responsible financial decisions for themselves, and so the donors of aid must restrict the ways in which that aid may be spent.

Considering the comorbidity of poverty and substance abuse, they may be on to something. At least you can't directly pay for meth with food stamps.

In conclusion, SOME of the money intended to provide nutrition to poor families will instead leak out to fund small acts of pleasure, like a soda or frappuccinos.

If that is the worst thing that happened today, I guess I am all right with it, even if I believe it's a bad choice.

[Sarah]

You bet I've bought Bags of Starbucks Whole beans with food stamps. I work, but don't make much and I don't see anything wrong with splurging once a month. Besides, brewing coffee at home is cheaper than buying it a Starbucks. After all, remember that the first letter in SNAP is supplimental. If food stamps were my only source of food I wouldn't buy expensive coffee, but my food stamps are exactly that: supplimental.
Its no worse than using the same cup day after day to get free drip refills with my registered SB's card. (Or iced tea refills, which I admit I do occasionally. OK, Im a moocher. But I work hard for practically nothing and am raising a son with no support. I feel I deserve a treat now and then. When I have to pay more a year in taxes than my fat-cat bosses, I think getting food stamps is a little bit of justice. I mean, they could pay me MORE so I don't need SNAP.....but since they don't Im taking all the free stuff I can

[c]

This has happened to me twice. A lady ordered four or so CRF and some pastries and wanted to pay with her WIC card. It was upsetting because it was over a $20 purchase. Really?!? I also had a older guy wanting to by a pound of coffee with his food stamps, I told him to go to the grocery store.