Just saw somebody 'pay' for a massive pack of Amber Leaf, green rizlas and 3 packs of Quavers...

[badcoverversion]

...with Healthy Start vouchers.

I was a bit about it.

AIBU in thinking that both the customer and the retailer are bang out of order using the vouchers for baccy and deep fried cheesey snacks.

GooseFatRoasties...it wasn't intended to be a"stop healthy start all the poor scumbags just buy booze with them anyway" thread but maybe I should have just refrained from posting altogether.

I think the initiative is great in theory and I'm sure the vast majority don't spend their vouchers on tabs and ale. I just found this isolated incident a bit wrong and felt compelled to find out other peoples take on the matter.

Thinking of reporting the shop now...

that's terrible, I always had to show the lady what I had brought in the way of fruit/veg/milk & tot up what it was worth before she would let me use the vouchers - not enough brought = voucher not allowed!

Sorry to be a tad cynical but there are some real anti-benefit people on here. Glad to hear you are thinking of reporting them. I think they may send someone in with vouchers trying to buy fags to see if they can catch them out. It would be worth reporing IMO as it is an abuse of a worthy scheme.

davidtennantsmistress You've jogged my memory of standing at the check out in my Co-Op, a woman was getting milk/fruit/veg but there wasn't enough for them to process the voucher. The cashier told her to get a banana/apple/onion or 2 and they balanced it out - in the end she was 5p over.

The scheme is much needed and without it I would have been stuffed. It always amazed me that other mum's (friends) could afford cigarettes, as I struggled to pay the basic stuff, one day had to chose between gas and electric top-up (chose electric as was cheaper and could use microwave to cook instead of oven).

NOTE: This is NOT a rant about smokers, it genuinely made me think - how? I would have happily bought a cheeky bottle of wine if I could have. ;)

I am now working 40 hrs a week, earn a reasonable wage and.....am still skint! Tch! Can now afford the cheeky bottle of vino though

shew - tbh I found it totally humiliating to have to use them, however I also knew without them DS wouldn't have had half the veg he did have - as I shopped fortnightly it was £6 odd, so a lot, but likewise as you say had to make sure i was a few pence over each time. usually was but hated it still.

I was the same as you, hated handing them over as assumed people in the queue were judging me.

I had a huge chip on my shoulder about being on benefits too - I thought everybody shared the belief that single mums on benefits (oh and living in a council house) were there for the easy ride.....not the case with the majority and I do, even now 5 years on, get very uppity when that sweeping generalisation is made.

Unfortunately the few that take the p*ss out of the welfare system tend to be the headline grabbers.

yes totally agree.

TwoBy Well I'm on a low wage, I hate how low income is used when in reality they mean benefits. I do feel that sometimes whoever dreams up these schemes should say low income and mean it rather than say it and mean benefits. I know lots of people who work part-time etc., single parents etc.

Well thats because they ARE for people on low income IIRC those working or earning income form other sources up to £16,400, as well as those on benefits

We get these HS vouchers, since my bf lost his job and i fell pregnant.

We get around £26.00 every 2 weeks, we use them in a store wich i wont name, but they take then for all food shopping. we still get our milk and veg from their but we also spend some on our food shopping.

Without these vouchers our diet woulkd be small and unvared, with these helping us we now have a much better diet and were greatfull for the help they give us.

I dont agree with them been used for fags and alcohol but for food shopping i think its fair to say the store who lets us use them for our shopping does us a favor and stops us having a fridge full of milk and carrots.

That's horrible. Report the shop. Loads of ice cream vans also accept them as payment for whatever you want.

The vans also make profit off of them by not giving you the full alue for your token. I had a friend who had an agreement with the van man that she would get £2.50 worth of whatever for each token so she could get her stuff and he made 60p off of each token.

*full value

I can't believe that some people are defending exchanging Healthy start vouchers for tobacco.
It isn't benefit bashing at all. It is just plain WRONG, and shouldn't be allowed to happen.

They don't audit what the vouchers are redeemed for. At all.

I looked into it recently after seeing someone buying fags and fizzy pop with them in a corner shop near me. I wasn't buying fags for me honestly

Milk tokens used to be abused in the same way though, I had a Saturday job in a little shop 20 years ago and they were used for anything then too.

The shops around ours are quite strict. They count up it all to make sure you have enough fruit/veg/milk to use them all.

At some they prefer you to pay separate with them so they can make sure.

I used to have them when my eldest was little and they were great! But do think some places have got quite lax with them now, so they are not being used like they are supposed to be which is a shame.

And I cannot understand any parent using them anyway for other things like tobacco etc even if they can. They are provided to make sure that the child/children have milk and fruit and veg not so the parent can use for things they want when maybe running a little short!

The shops around ours are quite strict. They count up it all to make sure you have enough fruit/veg/milk to use them all.

At some they prefer you to pay separate with them so they can make sure.

I used to have them when my eldest was little and they were great! But do think some places have got quite lax with them now, so they are not being used like they are supposed to be which is a shame.

And I cannot understand any parent using them anyway for other things like tobacco etc even if they can. They are provided to make sure that the child/children have milk and fruit and veg not so the parent can use for things they want when maybe running a little short!

AND- this in not a benefit bash! I know many people who have them and use them like they are supposed to be used. And I believe they are helpful for a lot of people out there who need them.

But using them for other things which they are not supposed to be used for are wrong. And people who repeatedly do that should have them removed because obviously they are not doing what they are supposed to do which is make sure the child has a healthy diet!

Also the shops are to blame who allow this and they should be reported as there must be a way to check what the voucher scanned has been used towards, and if not there should be a way.

If you can't afford to buy fruit and veg for your kids you shouldn't be able to afford to smoke.

Report misuse here

This thread started over a year ago................

This is plain wrong- cant affort fruit & vege for your kids dont buy tobacco!
What lowlife would exchange vouchers which are intented for the health of a CHILD on THEMSELVES??
Makes my blood boil- some people rely on these benefits to get by whilst tjey struggling & people like this are abusing the system.
It shouldnt be allowed its not right!

The sure start Healthy website states you can get these if:

You are at least 10 weeks pregnant and under 18. £3.10 a week

You are at least 10 weeks pregnant and in receipt of certain benefits. £3.10 a week

If in receipt of certain benefits you can get for a baby 1 and under. £6.20 a week per baby

If in receipt of certain benefits for each child between 1 and 4 years old. £3.20 per week per child.

They can only be used for:
Cows milk (whole, semi-skimmed or skimmed). Not for milkshake etc

Fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables

Infant formula milk (but not for the 6mths follow on ones)

I don't know of any shops that accept them for anything other than fresh/formula milk and/or fresh/frozen fruit & vegetables.

Tesco & Morrisons actually add up the cost to check that it meets the voucher. I've never seen anyone using them at the cigarette counter.

Not saying it doesn't happen, but the problem is the shop, not even the person with the vouchers.

I used to use my milk tokens for other things, quite possibly ciggies for my DH. I bf and bought my milk from Quick Save, it made more sense to do it this way, it was cheaper. Mind you Tesco's wasn't exsitance, in my area, then.

I have just googled the shops that take them, in my area and they are three times as expensive and not as good quality as Aldi and Ldil, both within walking distance.

This is the flaw in the scheme, you are not getting good value for the tokens.

It doesn't mean that the children are going without, because they are buying other stuff.

your child only gets them till the age of four. If they were stopped then you would be punishing people such as myself who use them correctly.

I have never come accross anyone who uses them for things they shouldnt and I work in a shop. The retailer is at fault as well as the individual so report by all means but please dont turn this into anti benefits/ we are all claiming fraudulently thread.

I rely on my healthy start tokens and I buy milk and fruit for my 1 year old dd3 from them