My Story From the Inside
I don’t usually talk about this, but since everyone’s sharing their experiences, here’s mine.
A few years ago, I worked at a small neighborhood grocery store. Nothing fancy — just a place where everyone knew everyone. What I started noticing, though, didn’t sit right with me.
There was a man who came in almost every week, always with a brand-new pair of sneakers or the latest phone. He’d buy energy drinks, name-brand snacks, and cigarettes — all with cash. But the moment he grabbed food items, out came the EBT card.
One day, after chatting a bit too casually, he told one of my coworkers:
“I keep my income low on paper so I don’t lose my benefits. Why would I work more if the government pays better?”
I’m not judging poverty — I’ve been broke, I’ve depended on assistance, and I know what it’s like to count every dollar. But this felt different. Not survival. Just manipulation.
And what bothered me wasn’t him alone — it was watching the elderly woman behind him buy two cans of soup with quarters because she didn’t qualify for anything. It felt unfair in a way that’s hard to put into words.
I don’t think programs like SNAP are the problem. They’re essential. They save lives.
But loopholes? They eat away at trust.
They make people who genuinely need help feel judged.
And they make workers like me feel stuck in the middle of something no one wants to talk about.
Just sharing what I saw — not to shame anyone, but because these small moments shape how communities feel about the system.
#WelfareLoophole
