Welfare and Food Stamps

I thank my lucky stars that I've never been so down and out that I needed welfare but know of so many instances of abuse of welfare that it's often hard to accept that some people really do need it.  

I was returning a top at Walmart today and the clerks were having a difficult time with a customer returning food items such as bread and some other things that I could see could be opened and then closed.  The lady was well dressed and adamant that she'd paid cash for some of her items...she had a receipt.  The confusion seemed to be that her receipt showed they'd been paid for with food stamps.  I don't know how all this ended because I finished my transaction and left.

I did ask the clerk what happens to returned food items such as bread and she said they'd be thrown in the trash.  Thank heavens!  But, what a waste!  Why take them back in the first place??

We don't have food stamps in Canada so I don't know anything about them other than they can be abused just as easily as money given to some welfare recipients.  It's so sad to see welfare money given to people who shouldn't get it because there are many people who desperately need it and don't get enough.  Welfare offices just don't have sufficient staff to determine who shouldn't get benefits.  Our governments don't seem to realize that just one employee could save us more money than it costs to employ them.

I watched the clerks dealing with this particular lady today and saw the dislike on their faces.  Working people deeply resent working 40 hours per week only to have some of their salary deducted and handed over to those who won't work.  We see so much abuse of the system that it's often difficult to tell who is needy and who is greedy.  

Was this lady abusing the system?  Probably...but maybe not.