Am I a Jerk?
The other day I was in our local grocery store, Wegmans, with my son. We got in line to pay and there were two people ahead of us paying with a food stamps card. I always feel bad for people, like they're embarrassed.
When we have foster babies we use WIC for their formula. I always feel embarrassed paying with WIC checks because I hold up the line. Plus, I feel like everyone's looking at my cart thinking, "She can afford *insert unnecessary grocery items here*, but she can't afford to feed her baby." I always have the urge to say, "I'm a foster parent. I'm not poor." But, of course, I don't.
Anyway, we waited patiently while these people tried to pay for their items. Their food stamps card only paid for a certain amount, and they needed to come up with about $5. The lady tried to pay with a credit card but it didn't go through. Then I really felt bad for her.
I was just about to tell her I'd pay for it (to save her embarrassment and help her get out of the store), when I glanced in her cart. It was filled with beer, pop and potato chips. That's it. Just that stuff.
I don't know if I was right or wrong, but I didn't say anything. Afterwards I sort of felt like a jerk, but that feeling comes and goes. She ended up paying with cash and left.
Was I wrong?
When we have foster babies we use WIC for their formula. I always feel embarrassed paying with WIC checks because I hold up the line. Plus, I feel like everyone's looking at my cart thinking, "She can afford *insert unnecessary grocery items here*, but she can't afford to feed her baby." I always have the urge to say, "I'm a foster parent. I'm not poor." But, of course, I don't.
Anyway, we waited patiently while these people tried to pay for their items. Their food stamps card only paid for a certain amount, and they needed to come up with about $5. The lady tried to pay with a credit card but it didn't go through. Then I really felt bad for her.
I was just about to tell her I'd pay for it (to save her embarrassment and help her get out of the store), when I glanced in her cart. It was filled with beer, pop and potato chips. That's it. Just that stuff.
I don't know if I was right or wrong, but I didn't say anything. Afterwards I sort of felt like a jerk, but that feeling comes and goes. She ended up paying with cash and left.
Was I wrong?
Comments
If it'd been meat or milk or some real sustenance, that'd have been different.
No guilt, lady.
I was stuck behind a lady trying to pay with WIC vouchers at our Giant, and I was so annoyed at either the program or Giant, not sure who was responsible...apparently, WIC requires Juicy Juice, so the lady had to put back her Hi-C. I understand that they want people to buy 100% juice, but it wouldn't allow her to buy store brand apple juice or Welch's grape juice either. It would only allow Juicy Juice, which the store was out of. She was so embarrassed and frustrated...just wanted to get juice for her kids.
Sorry to hijack your comments. Like you, I'd have offered to help a person who was short on money, but not to pay for beer.
But, beer is not a necessasity, neither are the chips and pop if you want to be honest about it. She had the cash to pay for it, she knows her situation and is knowingly living like she wants.
You have yourself and you family to think about, would she have done the same for you?
Sometime I hate the welfare system, but what you going to do?
I am a little shocked they were doing that. Wow.
On another note, what are foodstamps? Does your government give them to poor people?? I'm really intrigued.
I try not to judge people for those choices because I don't know what it's like to be them and I haven't walked the path that they've walked but I wouldn't feel guilty for not enabling what I felt to be a bad choice in their lives.