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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFound this during my morning Hope Scrolling!
Feds told Oregon grocers they couldnt offer 10% off to SNAP recipients, so they got creative
Aimee Green - The Oregonian/OregonLive
When grocery store owners Mike and Dani McGinty learned last week that the feds were putting the kibosh on their plans to help hungry Oregon families reeling from the government shutdown, the couple took a leap of faith.
The McGintys, who own the McMinnville Grocery Outlet, tried to offer a 10% discount to all SNAP recipients whose food-assistance money had been frozen. But when the feds told them no, they came up with a go-around: Extending the offer to all customers.
Now theres a catch to it, and I need your help as a community, Mike McGinty announced in an Oct. 31 video posted to Facebook. If you do not need a discount, please do not ask for it.
Six days into the offer, McGinty told The Oregonian/OregonLive Thursday that the honor system appears to be working. More than 200 customers have used the discount so far with the overwhelming majority, he suspects, SNAP recipients or people who are otherwise struggling financially.
At least 3 other independent grocers in Oregon have attempted to follow suit, but were notified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, that sent out a nationwide announcement the previous week, that grocers were subject to the Equal Treatment Rule prohibiting discrimination.
https://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/2025/11/dear-abby-how-can-i-keep-valued-family-relationships-intact-if-dad-keeps-acting-like-a-jerk.html
Scrivener7
(57,772 posts)the feds have a say in how they run it?
It's like ICE saying people can't wear costumes to protests. Go fuck yourselves, guys. That's not how this works.
AZJonnie
(2,250 posts)I assume there's some kind of approval process, maybe that can be revoked? Does seem fucked up but there are lots of federal regulations that tell businesses what they can and cannot do, this may be one of those
Scrivener7
(57,772 posts)the initial ruling against different treatment for SNAP beneficiaries was a Civil Rights Protection move (suggested by the Obama Administration) and now the trump administration is using it as a punishment
Scrivener7
(57,772 posts)no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of sex, including gender identity and sexual orientation, race, color, age, political belief, religious creed, disability, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subject to discrimination under SNAP.