USA Today reports that more and more retail stores are now accepting food stamps—now known as
Electronic Benefit Transfers. Family Dollar and other stores say their earnings have been stable during the recession partly because they participate in the federal food stamp program, now called the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
In its third quarter earnings report,
Family Dollar cited the debit-like EBT cards as one of the reasons for its success in the current economy.
Other stores now accepting the EBT card include Target, Costco and Seeven-Eleven.
An estimated 39 million people currently receive food stamps. Arizona and several other states have seen a 30% growth in the numbr of people using food stamps in the last year.
Click
here for eligibility guidelines and
here for a breakdown on what you can and cannot buy using the EBT cards.