More and more SNAP recipients gravitating toward big-box retailers, Numerator says

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/38456232

The shutdown will halt about $8 billion a month in federal food assistance. Walmart captures 24% of all SNAP shopper spending, according to Numerator’s 2025 SNAP Evolution report—triple Kroger’s share and far ahead of Costco, Amazon and Sam’s Club.

Walmart was the first retailer to accept SNAP online in all 50 states in 2023 and launched the Walmart+ Assist program, which offers half-price memberships for those receiving aid.

“If SNAP payments stop, spending by the lowest income groups will fall,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of data and analytics firm GlobalData. “Walmart gets a plurality of the spending, so it will be hit the hardest.”

This was somewhat epiphanic for me.

I already recognized companies such as Walmart were subsidizing pay through social programs such as SNAP and essential funneling/laundering tax payer money to their executives.

This headline made me further realize they’re not only making taxpayers subsidize wages, they’ve also effectively turned the USD into a form of company scrip. While that scrip can be spent at some other locations I bet a large percent of funneled right back to e.g. Walmart itself. If you already work at Walmart it makes spending your SNAP benefit there easier.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    42·
    2 days ago

    It’s more “doubling dipping”.

    Walmart pays their employees less than they need to survive, and so they can keep working, they help them get on Snap program.

    Then they use SNAP to buy groceries, likely from Walmart.

    But even if not, lots of others do.

    So they get hit twice as hard. Employees won’t be able to afford to keep working there…

    And a shit ton of their customers can’t afford to shop there, or anywhere else.

    So they’re likely to get hit by theft as well, when people starve, they stop thinking about anything besides the next meal, and everyone knows Walmart lets you walk out till you pass felony threshold.

    People really going to be snatch and grabbing groceries soon. Shits gonna get real bad real soon if we have even more desperate people not thinking past tomorrow.