Just announced on local news here in Northeast Louisiana.......

[jus_the_facts]

.....the grocery stores have quit accepting credit...debit and food stamp cards...the breakdown of society as we knew it has begun. :nopity:

[flamingyouth]

1. Oh man...

How are you holding up?:hug:

[jus_the_facts]

7. So far so good...just have to close out what little $ in my account....

....because my debit card is no longer worth the plastic it's made out of....sigh...thanks for askin'. :hug:

[Oreo]

2. Communication problems?

How can they not accept food stamps? Is it because of communication failures where they can't dial up to the bank?

[B3Nut]

11. Most likely.

I support POS (point-of-sale) systems among my varied IT duties, and any food stamp, debit, or credit transactions are either dialup-based in primitive systems, or TCP/IP-based (Internet) on the new systems. All our new POS systems run an encrypted transaction over cable or DSL. If you lose the Internet, you lose all electronic transactions. Even check lookups go over this link. It's great as long as the networks are up, but if you lose telephone and/or Internet, you're hosed.

Todd in Beerbratistan

[wellstone_democrat]

3. northeastern????? was that hard hit?

this is disturbing---they think the US Gov is not going to honor food stamps? or that an authorized cc purchase won't work?

My former accounting profession tells me this: cash means scamming on receipt totals and therefore taxes. This is about price gouging and cheating. I'm appalled.

[op6203]

17. NE LA wasn't hit hard at all

Top wind gusts were somewhere between 35 and 40 mph. The strongest steady wind was maybe 25mph. We only got a little rain from it in my area. However, we do have quite a few evacuees in the area. Several gas stations have run out of gas. I haven't encountered anyone not taking credit cards yet, but I haven't tried to use one lately.

OP

[sniffa]

4. i'm sLow

why wouLd they do that? in reLation to the disaster?

[jus_the_facts]

16. We've got thousands of refugees up here and they stated the reason....

....as some sort of *breakdown* in the system..they'd gone to debit cards here instead of food stamps...and something about the credit computer systems failing...sounds like a load of shit to me just because of the assumption that people won't be able to pay their credit card bills without any income....and they can siphon off the last of their cash in the mean time.

[Misunderestimator]

20. That's EXACTLY what they are doing!

:grr:

[jus_the_facts]

29. I'm afraid so....when the people who've been fortunate enough...

...to have credit to survive get turned down and they're thrown in the same *boat* with the destitude...there's no tellin' how bad the backlash will become. x(

[coffeenap]

5. WHAT?????How can they stop taking credit cards???

If the card is in hand, the person is the owner, the charged amounts will be covered by the issuer,IF the presenting citizen can't cover it, right? If not, it can be written off. PLEASE--a store with food and supplies must provide them to people--this is nuts!

[Beetwasher]

6. Hey Sweetie, How You Holding Up?

:hug:

[billbuckhead]

9. If they price gouge there will be no record

[crikkett]

36. keep your receipts n/t

[raccoon]

37. Give the man a cigar for thinking outside the box! nt

[jus_the_facts]

22. Hey Darlin'....I'm okay....

....just tryin' not to become depressed over this armageddon shit happening down here and the blowhards around here talkin' shit about looters...but other than that I'm hangin' in. :hug: :loveya:

[one_true_leroy]

25. you obviously have internet/phone...

how can the stores justify their lack of? criminal intent?

[jus_the_facts]

35. I'm sure it's to siphon off peoples cash...just askin' for trouble IMHO...

....ignorance and greed KNOW NO BOUNDS....could be some sort of overload with their systems...remains to be seen what the real motive is.

[havocmom]

8. Credit/debit cards will be a problem where phone lines might be down

They can't get those transactions approved without phone lines to card approval centers, so there is a possible legitimate reason for that. Now, about food stamp refusal... that does mean trouble within the social contract. Also means desperate people will have to resort to other means. People facing starvation AND facing guns if they get angery and desperate enough to take what they need are gonna be dangerous.

Social contract is openly shredded. Take a good look, America. This is the future of everywhere as the card house comes down.

[B3Nut]

15. Food stamps are largely electronic now.

You get a card from the state instead of the old money-like bills. You swipe the card at the register to pay for food-stamp items. No comm link, no food stamps. And in this case, no backup.

Todd in Beerbratistan

[havocmom]

33. That's right, I had forgotten that. Thank you.

But if they still have a phone line working, they can call centers for direct approval, I forgot that too.

Our whole society works only when certain mechanical apparatus is engaged. Makes the whole system pretty easy to crash. We don't need terrorists. We have created the means of our own destruction and built it all on sand.

[etherealtruth]

10. Wonderful ...

Making an already difficult situation worse ... they should be commended :sarcasm:

[crispini]

12. Good gosh, where are you?

[converted_democrat]

13. I don't mean to be ignorant, but what does that mean??

I mean what is that indicative of? We have a credit card machine for our company, but we can't use it unless we have power and phone lines. Are they doing it because of no power, or for some other reason?

[fishnfla]

19. the phone lines are probably down

but the negaitivity rules the roost around here

[efhmc]

14. Are they taking checks then?

[Misunderestimator]

18. WHAT?!?! OMG.

And yet again... no plan to prevent this from happening. :grr:

[BamaGirl]

21. Weird

the gas stations were only taking cash yesterday. I figured there was a problem with the phone lines. :shrug:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

24. Were they charging inflated prices?

Just wonderin'

[Lone_Star_Dem]

26. posted in wrong place

[BamaGirl]

31. lol i replied anyway nt

[BamaGirl]

30. was 2.76 when I filled up yesterday afternoon

no idea what the situation now. Also yesterday, most stations here weren't selling more than 10gals/car, and I went to 3 places before I found one with the low grade. I thought all things considered they were well behaved. No cards, but no $5/gal gas either. ;)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

39. You replied to the one I intended to post. :)

I accidentally replied to my own post when I had intended to post to the OP. :P

I asked you about that wondering if they were gouging. That's not an unfair price, so I'm guessing they were having issues with their machines.

[BamaGirl]

44. oic lol

Yep, my assumption is phone line problems. We're going out in a little bit, so will have to see what the situation is like today.

[fasttense]

23. Can they legally do that?

I guess they can but it seems so heartless. Things like this could lead to runs on the banks. Where is the government???

[Lone_Star_Dem]

27. OK, so how is a poor person on food stamps (card)

Supposed to purchase food now? This could be a serious problem.

[lonestarnot]

28. Didn't all that stuff float off anyway? Who has a credit card? Foodstamp?

Debit card?

[Bridget Burke]

32. The area in question is far from the hurricane damage.

But broken phone lines prevent electronic transactions.

[lonestarnot]

34. San dan donia! Bushitler should be placed under arrest!

[wellstone_democrat]

38. debit cards need phones and they are taking those...

this is for a variety of reasons and most have to do with getting cash for transactions --- I saw this years ago when working a hurricane in NC with a relief org. I did accounting then and it was clear to everyone involved. Cash is better: you can reduce receipt totals and therefore taxes paid (sales, income, etc)

If people will pay with cash you have less overhead to pay for transactions with cc companies. If they can take debit cards, they can take credit cards.

[jus_the_facts]

42. No we're a major hub for refugees up here in Monroe, La.....

...our relief shelters have been some of the best and we're in hope that we can uphold that standard...but the long term effects may hamper our best efforts..hopefully we will prevail in takin' care of these folks so there isn't mass chaos if we can't.

[op6203]

40. Which local news is reporting this?

Did they say which grocery stores?

OP

[jus_the_facts]

41. Local NBC affiliate...

....didn't name any names...just that it's to be expected when you try to use any plastic at the grocery stores.

[op6203]

43. Okay - thanks.

We may be in different areas of NE LA. Either that or they haven't put it on their website yet.

OP

On edit: :hi: neighbor! (I just saw your other post) I guess they just haven't put it on their website.

[jus_the_facts]

45. It was a news break on channel 10...KTVE...right before the 700 Club....

...came on heh. :hi:

[op6203]

46. *Confirmed*

I just tried to use my CC at the cafeteria at work. They said it may or may not work. The guy before me use one and it went through. I watched the machine keep trying to redial and the screen said "no answer".

I'm thinking this isn't something the grocery stores are doing on purpose. The strange thing is... it was working yesterday and the day before. What's new today? Is it something the CC companies (or banks) are doing? Or are the phone lines just swamped?

OP