EBT card glitch prompts unlimited Wal-Mart shopping sprees

lukin2006
lukin2006 Posts: 9,087
edited November 2013 in A Moving Train
EBT card glitch prompts unlimited Wal-Mart shopping sprees

http://now.msn.com/ebt-card-glitch-prom ... t_fbmsnnow

What would you do if you had an unlimited amount of the government's money to spend on food? Based on the shoppers who took advantage of a brief glitch on their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards, you'd stack a shopping cart with as much stuff as you could physically push to the Wal-Mart cash register. For a few hours on Saturday, Wal-Mart shoppers in Louisiana who checked their EBT balances discovered that their spending limits had totally disappeared, giving them limitless funds for their grocery shopping. Overwhelmed employees called Wal-Mart's headquarters to ask how to handle the situation and, according to CBS News, were told to "keep the registers ringing."
The glitch was apparently triggered by a power outage during EBT infrastructure maintenance; once the situation was corrected, overflowing shopping carts were abandoned in the aisles. "That's stealing," one shopper complained to local station KSLA. "That's all I got to say about it."

:lol::lol::lol::lol:
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin

"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • chadwick
    chadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    it can be tracked. if a card holder normally gets $200 a month & all of a sudden they have no limit & they check out @ $1,209.74

    they be owning 1,009.74
    somebody aint getting benefits for 5 months
    & they may be cancelled altogether for flat out knowingly stealing

    idiots
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."
    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,397
    At least they could only spend it on food and not electronics.

    I'll bet someone a Coke that the produce aisle was the last to be cleaned out. :fp:
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • ajedigecko
    ajedigecko \m/deplorable af \m/ Posts: 2,431
    Jason P wrote:
    At least they could only spend it on food and not electronics.

    I'll bet someone a Coke that the produce aisle was the last to be cleaned out. :fp:


    no way...I am sure the organic purchases being made is what notified the Xerox mainframe.
    live and let live...unless it violates the pearligious doctrine.
  • unsung
    unsung I stopped by on March 7 2024. First time in many years, had to update payment info. Hope all is well. Politicians suck. Bye. Posts: 9,487
    lukin2006 wrote:
    EBT card glitch prompts unlimited Wal-Mart shopping sprees

    http://now.msn.com/ebt-card-glitch-prom ... t_fbmsnnow

    What would you do if you had an unlimited amount of the government's money to spend



    It's not the government's money.
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    It's just sad that stealing comes so easily for some. No compunctions, just take take take.

    Good to know this shit is trackable. Let's hope it's made right.
  • PillowPants
    PillowPants Posts: 4,877
    chadwick wrote:
    it can be tracked. if a card holder normally gets $200 a month & all of a sudden they have no limit & they check out @ $1,209.74

    they be owning 1,009.74
    somebody aint getting benefits for 5 months
    & they may be cancelled altogether for flat out knowingly stealing

    idiots


    fuck "owing"

    take away their benefits permanently
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    PillowPants wrote:
    chadwick wrote:
    it can be tracked. if a card holder normally gets $200 a month & all of a sudden they have no limit & they check out @ $1,209.74

    they be owning 1,009.74
    somebody aint getting benefits for 5 months
    & they may be cancelled altogether for flat out knowingly stealing

    idiots


    fuck "owing"

    take away their benefits permanently
    I look at it this way. Say the monthly amount is $200, but $2000 worth of items were "bought". No more benefits for the next nine months. The value has been consumed.

    And I think some sort of penalty should apply here; not sure if permanent revocation is the answer...but maybe it is.
  • Bentleyspop
    Bentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 11,642
    Jason P wrote:
    At least they could only spend it on food and not electronics.

    I'll bet someone a Coke that the produce aisle was the last to be cleaned out. :fp:

    Wal-Mart has a produce aisle?
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,784
    Bentleyspop wrote:
    Jason P wrote:
    At least they could only spend it on food and not electronics.

    I'll bet someone a Coke that the produce aisle was the last to be cleaned out. :fp:

    Wal-Mart has a produce aisle?

    :lol: I wouldn't know either. :lol:
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    http://news.msn.com/us/wal-mart-xerox-b ... amps-spree

    This irritates me. Both Wal-Mart and Xerox are to blame for the error and how it was handled...but the SPREE itself?

    That shit didn't just walk itself out the door.

    It's like those who actually stole have no part at all in this.
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    sooo ... when employees tried to get wal mart to address what was clearly some error ... they said keep the registers going! ... sounds like corporate america at its finest ...
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    polaris_x wrote:
    sooo ... when employees tried to get wal mart to address what was clearly some error ... they said keep the registers going! ... sounds like corporate america at its finest ...
    Obviously there was a fuckup, but anger is directed toward big bad Wal-Mart instead of those who knowingly stole?

    I just don't get it.

    I wonder how many would villify Wal-Mart had they shut things down when the error first occurred?

    Does anyone place responsibility on those who knowingly spent what they didn't have?
  • Last-12-Exit
    Last-12-Exit Charleston, SC Posts: 8,661
    hedonist wrote:
    polaris_x wrote:
    sooo ... when employees tried to get wal mart to address what was clearly some error ... they said keep the registers going! ... sounds like corporate america at its finest ...
    Obviously there was a fuckup, but anger is directed toward big bad Wal-Mart instead of those who knowingly stole?

    I just don't get it.

    I wonder how many would villify Wal-Mart had they shut things down when the error first occurred?

    Does anyone place responsibility on those who knowingly spent what they didn't have?

    2 points:
    1) When the cashiers called the corporate office, they could have been responsible and told them to stop accepting EBT until the problem was found and corrected. So Wal Mart DOES hold some blame.

    2) Unsung is right, its not the governments money. Its my money, its your money, its taxpayers dollars, again, being wasted and blown on ignorance.
  • lukin2006
    lukin2006 Posts: 9,087
    The government will get their money back ... but please save the moral superiority for somewhere else. How many of you are posting on here, surfing the net on your companies dime? those who have sick time calling in sick when not sick? Using your sick time to stay home to buy concert tickets? Leave work early? And on and on.
    I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin

    "Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    Last-12-Exit wrote:
    hedonist wrote:
    Obviously there was a fuckup, but anger is directed toward big bad Wal-Mart instead of those who knowingly stole?

    I just don't get it.

    I wonder how many would villify Wal-Mart had they shut things down when the error first occurred?

    Does anyone place responsibility on those who knowingly spent what they didn't have?

    2 points:
    1) When the cashiers called the corporate office, they could have been responsible and told them to stop accepting EBT until the problem was found and corrected. So Wal Mart DOES hold some blame.

    2) Unsung is right, its not the governments money. Its my money, its your money, its taxpayers dollars, again, being wasted and blown on ignorance.
    Agreed, I should've said "much more" anger directed toward Wal-Mart than those who did the stealing. I'm still not getting that part.

    Also agreed on whose money this is/was.

    (by the way, lukin - no moral or any other superiority coming from here. I'm efficient and kick ass in my work, don't fuck around online or post 24/7, use my sick time wisely...AND I DON'T STEAL ;) )
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    hedonist wrote:
    polaris_x wrote:
    sooo ... when employees tried to get wal mart to address what was clearly some error ... they said keep the registers going! ... sounds like corporate america at its finest ...
    Obviously there was a fuckup, but anger is directed toward big bad Wal-Mart instead of those who knowingly stole?

    I just don't get it.

    I wonder how many would villify Wal-Mart had they shut things down when the error first occurred?

    Does anyone place responsibility on those who knowingly spent what they didn't have?

    i didn't see any anger towards wal mart here ... in fact, most of you guys are railing on the people who abused it ... i was just commenting on that ...
  • chadwick
    chadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    lukin2006 wrote:
    The government will get their money back ... but please save the moral superiority for somewhere else. How many of you are posting on here, surfing the net on your companies dime? those who have sick time calling in sick when not sick? Using your sick time to stay home to buy concert tickets? Leave work early? And on and on.

    the fact is all kinds of frequent posters on here are not on here when they're home, they be here while at work.


    good times, rock & roll

    who let the dogs out
    ruff
    ruff

    who let their bells out
    yikes
    yikes
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."
    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    polaris_x wrote:
    hedonist wrote:
    polaris_x wrote:
    sooo ... when employees tried to get wal mart to address what was clearly some error ... they said keep the registers going! ... sounds like corporate america at its finest ...
    Obviously there was a fuckup, but anger is directed toward big bad Wal-Mart instead of those who knowingly stole?

    I just don't get it.

    I wonder how many would villify Wal-Mart had they shut things down when the error first occurred?

    Does anyone place responsibility on those who knowingly spent what they didn't have?

    i didn't see any anger towards wal mart here ... in fact, most of you guys are railing on the people who abused it ... i was just commenting on that ...
    Sorry, I may have mis-taken your "corporate america" comment. Outside of this board though, a good number of people I've spoken with about this find Wal-Mart's actions more irresponsible than those who stole. It's like bizarro world, I tell ya!
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    hedonist wrote:
    Sorry, I may have mis-taken your "corporate america" comment. Outside of this board though, a good number of people I've spoken with about this find Wal-Mart's actions more irresponsible than those who stole. It's like bizarro world, I tell ya!

    well ... consider this analogy ... an online electronics retailer posts an item for sale and misplaces a decimal point ... let's say a brand new tv for say $100 instead of a $1,000 ... guess what? ... orders will be coming in by the handful and in some instances - the obligation is to the online retailer to honour that allotment ... now, I know that isn't a perfect example ... but look at it from the cardholders perspective ... worst case scenario to them is they give the stuff back ... but if there is a chance they can keep - why wouldn't they? ... this is the world we live in now ... our entire society is governed mostly by who can best exploit loopholes or get a leg up ... it's celebrated in fact ...

    so, yeah - you guys may want to consider it theft ... i think for them - it's only theft if they get told that they must return and they don't ... until then ... they are just exploiting something that so many people do on a daily basis ...

    what i do know is given the opportunity to nip in the bud ... wal mart chose the same path ...
  • chadwick
    chadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    there is also a thing called morals. not all of us are loophole searchers getting a leg up on the system. not all of us are attorneys :mrgreen:

    i find most iowans to be quite honest even to a fault. it's nice, it's lovely. some of us don't want short-cuts.

    walmart fucked up & should take full responsibility for their actions; walmart aided thieves & the ignorant
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."
    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce

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