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.

This really makes me !

When I had healthy start vouchers we got them once every 4 weeks, so I would go into our nearest very well known supermarket, and buy 4 weeks worth of formula and as much fruit and veg as I could with what was left over to make sure we had enough to last until next time.

This was fine the first few times until all of a sudden they decided that you could only use one voucher at a time - when I pointed out that no where does it state that you can't use more than 1 in a transaction I was told 'well that's what they mean' ?

This really pissed me off, to the extent that I told them I was not leaving until they put my stuff through, 1 transaction at a time if need be (which they did do eventually, mainly to get rid of me as I had screaming babies with me and a queue building up :) ).

I really felt this was unecessarily strict stupid, as I was buying the items I was supposed to be buying and they still wouldn't accept them, so when I hear about people being able to buy booze and fags with them it makes me rage!

If this was in a major supermarket like the one I work in, the member of staff who sold the products could get into serious trouble.
When I worked on the tills people would get really narky when I hot my pen out and added up the cost of their milk, fruit and veg and gave them back any tokens that exceeded the cost. A few insults from cheeky people like that were NOT worth losing my much-needed job over.
Sounds like the staff member needs to find his balls!

In the very unlikely event that this is true, you can phone 0845 607 6823 to report it, which might be slightly more useful than starting yet another outraged tory poor-people-are-immoral-and-thick thread on the internets. (Two minutes with google would have found you that, how long did it take to write your post?)

Do you know, I really could not give a toss, nor would I be rubber necking at how the person in front of me was paying for their goods.

It doesnt affect me. It doesnt affect anyone else either. It isnt as if the person is going to get any more money than the allowed amount, and for all anyone knows, their child could be happily sat at home eating organic hummous with vegetable crudites, washed down with a banana smoothie...

I can't even use Sainsbo's brand match vouchers to buy baccy - yes I am an evil mother who also smokes.

I don't even buy baccy or cigarettes when I have DS with me, because, oh the shame!

I would be bloody mortified to try and pay for it with Healthy Start vouchers -which we don't get but if we did I would be spending them on what they're meant to get spent on!!

You should report the shop for sure

northernlurker you're right, we seem to have resurrected an old thread..

Why do we give vouchers to poor people in the first place? My understanding is that it's so that government agencies, tabloid newspapers and judgey middle-class people can all have a great big self-congratulatory circle jerk about they're encouraging poorer people to make the right choices.

As this thread shows, if we gave them money instead, at least it would reduce the amunt that goes to corrupt shop owners.

I echo Squeaky.

Someone called my name

It was milk tokens back in my day and yes the local costcutter would accept them for things other than just milk which was very handy on those 'I have 31p till thursday' tuesdays.

If the healthy food gets bought anyway why does it matter what pays for what? its all benefit money paying isnt it?

This is just a people on benefits shouldnt smoke thread really isnt it?

It's a very unkind and hatey thread.
It all comes from the same pot, and it's nobody's business.
Get on with your day.

Squeaky covers it for me....

YABU I dont really see the issue? Presumably they would have bought the baccy/rizla/quavers anyway, how do you know they havent already bought the milk/fruit etc with cash?

gah! Feck off old decrepit thread

i once bought fags with irn bru bottles.

It's not an unkind and hatey thread in the slightest...and it's not about looking down on smokers either. It's about some feckless dickhead abusing/making a mockery of what should be a worthwhile government initiative.

I made the thread...it is/was completely true...and would you believe it, I drink, smoke, occasionally eat Quavers AND I'm on the council house waiting list to boot.

Now why don't we have a rolleyes smiley?

God stupid thread.

It's about some feckless dickhead abusing/making a mockery of what should be a worthwhile government initiative

As I said, if they are getting the vouchers then they are on benefits, so what difference does it make if they buy their fags/veg with cash or vouchers?

Why are they 'feckless'? because they are on benefits or becaue they smoke....or both?

Because their wages/benefits/etc. are their business TBH...but these vouchers are issued to aid the child nutritionally, that's quite specific.

The fact that she apparently can't budget the rest of her pot to include her fags makes her pretty feckless.

As a relatively low earner I would've been over the moon to receive HS vouchers back in the day...I sure as shit wouldn't have had the brass neck to walk into a shop and try and buy 20 Marboro Lights with them.

Taking the piss out of a scheme like this only gives the Tories every excuse to withdraw it.

Have you read my post 11.22? explains why that action is not feckless, or a makes her a dickhead.

My local shop will accept the vouchers for milk, fruit and veg and essentials such as bread, butter, pasta and rice. They will NOT take them for anything like booze or fags! I tthink the guy who runs it would probably bar someone from the shop for something like it!!

I get the vouchers as I'm pregnant and have occasionally used them for bread etc when I've not had anything in!

As Birds says sometimes it made more economical sense to juggle where and with what you paid though.

Okay Birdsgottafly,

I just read your post and a quick google tells me that the vouchers are accepted at the local Farmfoods Eccles (super cheap for fruit, veg, milk etc.) and also taken by Wilkinsons and Costcutter.

I find accusations that I am being horrid to poor people laughable...Christ, I'm common as muck.

Yeah, I wouldn't bat an eyelid at somebody using them for essentials like bread, pasta...any food really.

I suppose it does boil down to me having an issue with the person buying baccy and papers. However I'm an occasional smoker coughevery eveningcough so I think I'm just annoyed by the principal of it.

*principle