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Uber Eats will start accepting food stamps for grocery delivery in 2024
- leereeves 3y agoThe obvious question: How much will the markup/fee be? If it's affordable this could change the lives of people without cars, but I fear it will be expensive, because UberEats currently is, and because Uber generally seems more interested in making a profit than in providing a public service.
- _chu1 3y agoOnly a private company could genuinely care about making a public service
- ceejayoz 3y agoProbably good for folks in food deserts and no car, but their markups will eat severely into family food budgets I suspect.
- _chu1 3y agoAre "food deserts" real? Never in my life in rural Alabama have I seen one.
- runako 3y agoYou're possibly in a food desert and unaware. If any of your neighbors live more than a mile or two from a grocery store (not a convenience store), you are in a food desert. The definition involves being able to get to a grocery store on foot or public transit.
- Retric 3y agoIt’s a BS definition but not quite that BS: “one mile from a supermarket in urban or suburban areas and more than 10 miles from a supermarket in rural areas” The initial idea was urban areas are often mostly served by small convenience stores with high markups and few choices. However, being able to walk or use public transport can both work it’s really more a question of effort not distance.
- bombcar 3y agoOne mile is pretty darn low, even for suburban. I’m technically not in a food desert because there is a grocery store a block away. But if it were to explode, I’d suddenly be in a desert because the next grocery store (Walmart) is 1.2 miles away at the end of a nice bike path. I don’t even know if a grocery store’s customers can fit within a one mile radius circle without urban density.
- runako 3y agoDeciding that a mile is low is a top-down analysis. But if you've ever walked a mile to a store to buy groceries, you'll quickly conclude that much further is not really a viable foot journey to buy groceries.
- dahfizz 3y agoBut nobody is walking in a suburban town. This definition makes basically all suburbs a food dessert, even though the grocery store is only a few minutes from most people's house.
- runako 3y ago> nobody is walking in a suburban town I guess YMMV on this one. When I drive through suburbs, there are always people walking there. Watch especially how the staff arrives at your suburban stores & restaurants.
- dahfizz 3y agoOkay, to be more pedantic - the vast vast majority of people living in suburbs have access to a car and do not consider a 2 mile drive to the grocery store an inconvenience. To say these people live in a food dessert is silly. You are very clever to point out that people can actually walk around in a suburb, doesn't change the point.
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- _chu1 3y agoI'm 2 miles to the nearest convenience store and 5 miles from the grocery store I choose to go to and I do not consider that to be a "food desert", it's just a drive down the road. It is quite easy to grow your own produce to eat, and kids want to do it now because it reminds them of Minecraft.
- runako 3y agoYeah, 2 miles is ~80 minutes round trip on foot for a healthy person. 5 miles is over 3 hours round trip on foot, carrying groceries back. This is not accessible. If a person is poor enough to qualify for food stamps, is it reasonable to expect them to have enough land and resources (fertilizer, etc.) to grow enough food for a family, while also earning a living? Should that be the only option? Finally, of the group of people who do not have reliable access to cars, the poor are a significant portion. "Just jump in your car and drive down the road" is not an option for millions of Americans. But yes, if you are relatively well-off, there's no such thing as a food desert. If you have a few tens of acres of land, a tractor, and car, even being 50 or 100 miles from a store is not a problem. SNAP isn't for those people.
- _chu1 3y agoSure, but nobody does that because you're clearly doing something wrong or have done something wrong if you live in a rural area with zero access to a car and nobody who could give you a ride. Counties with rural areas provide public transportation for these people. If you're literally on the brink of starvation, I don't think growing tomatoes is that hard.
- runako 3y ago> Counties with rural areas provide public transportation for these people. Maybe in your state, but this is definitely not universal in America.
- piva00 3y ago> it's just a drive down the road. It is quite easy to grow your own produce to eat, and kids want to do it now because it reminds them of Minecraft. That assumes: having a car, and having some arable land + time on hand to grow and care for crops. Those are big assumptions, you need money to have a car and land, poor people lack... Money.
- Aurornis 3y agoThat’s an unreasonably strict definition. Most people in the US and many other countries don’t walk to a grocery store even if it’s within a mile or two or accessible by public transit. They drive because it’s easier to haul groceries that way. Once you’re driving it’s not a big deal if the grocery store is within 1 mile or 5 miles. I don’t understand what the purpose of the “food desert” definition is if it’s so strict as to include huge numbers of people for whom it doesn’t matter. This feels like the kind of buzzword that an organization dreams up to make their work sound extra important while undermining the true problem by diluting it too broadly.
- inetknght 3y ago> Most people in the US and many other countries don’t walk to a grocery store even if it’s within a mile or two or accessible by public transit. > They drive because it’s easier to haul groceries that way. > Once you’re driving it’s not a big deal if the grocery store is within 1 mile or 5 miles. Imagine you're between jobs, receive government aid for food, and can't afford to fuel your car. How will you get to the store? Imagine you don't have a car. How will you get to the store? Imagine you don't have friends or family. How will you get to the store? Your assumption of being able to drive is an unreasonably strict definition of a person.
- friendzis 3y agoHop on a bicycle or public transport? If you can't afford to fuel the car, more often than not you can't afford to own one either.
- inetknght 3y ago> If you can't afford to fuel the car, more often than not you can't afford to own one either. Perhaps. Or perhaps you afforded the purchase of the car years ago. Your situation has changed since then and now you have a car that you can no longer afford to maintain.
- _chu1 3y agoYou are literally imagining the saddest person in the entire world that has every single difficulty imaginable preventing them from getting food. Are they a disabled veteran who's blind, can't speak and has autism too? None of those people exist here, not in singlewides, duplexes, apartments or living in their relatives basements. There are more people living in their car than people without cars where I live in Alabama close to places where get bored and live off the grid. Do you live in a rural area?
- phailhaus 3y agoYes, almost 40M people live in food deserts in the US. [1] In rural areas, that means being >10mi away from the nearest supermarket or grocery store. For urban areas, the limit is 1 mile since many low-income residents don't have cars. [1] https://www.aecf.org/blog/exploring-americas-food-deserts https://www.aecf.org/blog/exploring-americas-food-deserts
- postalrat 3y agoAll low income residents do have working cars outside urban areas?
- phailhaus 3y agoNo, but most do. It's practically impossible to live in rural areas without access to a car.
- postalrat 3y agoPractically impossible because they are "food deserts"?
- phailhaus 3y agoNo, because there is often no public transit and everything is miles apart. Most of the US is built for cars, not for walking.
- Ancapistani 3y agoNot specifically, no. I was born and raised in a place where the nearest grocery store was ~30 miles away. The median annual household income in 2000 was <$30k. My senior class in high school consistent of 32 people. I literally visited the homes of classmates who had dirt floors and no running water. People who live in those areas have access to automobiles. Most of them have at least one operable vehicle per family; those that don't cooperate with friends, family, and neighbors to get what they need. To this day I regularly pick up hitchhikers when I'm driving through the area. I think the real argument here is that the term "food desert" seems much more extreme than the experience actually is. None of those people are going hungry because they can't get to the grocery store. The few that are going hungry, are going hungry because they're so strung out on drugs that they aren't capable of planning ahead even 24 hours. In other words, the lack of easy access to resources isn't the issue - it's the relatively large number of adults in poverty who are in that situation because of their own behavior. Whether they're capable of changing that behavior isn't the point here - they would be in a similar situation even if they were literally next door to a grocery store.
- _fat_santa 3y agoOh yeah! I grew up in Atlanta and you could see it in quite a number of places around town, thought it's a very subtle thing. You'd be driving past an apartment complex in a poorer neighborhood. At first it doesn't look any different but look closer at the stores around that neighborhood. It's usually going to be a mix of gas stations, fast food joints, dollar stores and maybe a Kroger (forget Walmart or Publix, they only serve the nicer parts of town with a few exceptions). Other than the Kroger, there's really no other options for fresh food, and if you live >1 mile from the Kroger then it's going to be challenge to walk there. Often times a food desert seems hidden to someone in a car, you drive along and see some gas stations then down the road you see a Kroger or another grocery store. While to you in a car it's just "the store is down the street", to someone walking the store might as well not be there. And the problem with fixing food deserts is that fresh produce is much lower margin than other items in the store. A full sized grocery store can handle that and keep produce as a loss leader but a place like Dollar General simply cannot afford to keep produce on the shelf unless they price it higher in which case it becomes unaffordable for the people that need it most.
- _chu1 3y agoYeah, I do kinda agree. I've barely ever seen an actual grocery store in downtown Birmingham so I would understand it being hard to walk there, but the only guy I've ever met who doesn't own a car is some guy I play games with who lives out in rural Washington and he never really found it difficult to get food. I think another factor that I agree with is the lack of fresh produce especially in ghettos, in rural areas I think if it's difficult for you to get food you should really consider growing your own. Sure it's a bit of work, but you learn a lot and the Internet is a great source of information for gardening and recipes.
- MiguelX413 3y agoIt's more of a problem for people in poverty, who often can't afford cars.
- underseacables 3y ago+1 for Atlanta. South of Five Points Station in Atlanta is practically one giant food desert, and it gets worse to further you go towards the airport. If you want to really see a stark difference between the rich and poor, take a bus from MARTA's Five Points Station through Virginia Highlands, then take another bus ride from Five Points to the airport. It's like two different cities, one with grocery stores, green lawns, and nice cars, and blown up buildings, trash, no grocery stores, and poverty.
- swader999 3y agoSeems like parts of America are devolving into this. A Wal-Mart or Target move in, crush competition, become the sole source in a radius. Then, they get overwhelmed by crime and close (or close for other reasons) and now the walkable or reasonable bus able distance to the next store is very far.
- smileysteve 3y agoYes. You could look at much of lower Alabama. Food Deserts are typically defined as 10 or more miles from a grocery; but where no public transportation infrastructure exists, are practically much more compact. Anecdotally, in a ~ suburban Alabama county, I have family that was 7 miles from a grocery until dollar general came in about 5 years ago. Here's a related article https://abc3340.com/news/local/wal-marts-shutdown-in-creates-new-food-deserts https://abc3340.com/news/local/wal-marts-shutdown-in-creates...
- tzs 3y agoFrom the University of Alabama Institute for Human Right, "Food Insecurity in Birmingham, AL" [1]: > In Alabama alone, close to two million residents live in a food desert, and almost 150,000 of them live in Birmingham. This accounts for 69% of the city’s total population. A 2019 update also found that there is at least one area that is identified as a food desert in each of Birmingham’s nine City Council Districts. The University of Alabama's Innovation for Rural Alabama site has some information on food deserts in rural Alabama [2]. [1] https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2022/06/13/food-insecurity-in-birmingham-al/ https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2022/06/13/food-insecurity... [2] http://innovationforruralalabama.ua.edu/food-deserts.html http://innovationforruralalabama.ua.edu/food-deserts.html
- KMnO4 3y agoWhy would someone on food stamps want to pay $16 in fees and tip?
- theblazehen 3y agoOne good reason would them being disabled and unable to shop themselves. It's a shitty option, but at least it's an option
- madcaptenor 3y agoI wonder if Uber Eats could offer an option that takes longer but the fee is lower, by waiting until there are multiple deliveries they can do at the same time. Basically Uber Pool for groceries.
- Spivak 3y agoFor the the same reason the rest of us do it. Because we're too exhausted to cook or need to "buy time" for other work.
- ok123456 3y agoBecause they don't have a car. $16 is what it would cost to take a ride share there one way.
- swader999 3y agoWatch "The Whale".
- SkipperCat 3y agoAlthough my first reaction was "ugh...", this kind of makes sense. There's probably a lot of people on SNAP benefits who have family commitments and time constraints where they need someone to deliver food. Just because your on SNAP doesn't mean you should be a 2nd class citizen. Of course, those who hate any type of government aid will have a field day with this. Such is political discourse today.
- bombcar 3y agoFree and low cost delivery has been a godsend for the fixed income mobility impaired, and should be encouraged. Large companies vacuuming up government benefits is an issue that needs to be examined and watchdogged.
- gruez 3y ago>Large companies vacuuming up government benefits is an issue that needs to be examined and watchdogged. Are you equally upset at Walmart or Safeway "vacuuming up government benefits"?
- bombcar 3y agoWhen they're providing the desired result (food) for a reasonable sum, it's most likely fine. After all, if Walmart charged SNAP cards more for bread or whatever, we should be up in arms.
- pc_edwin 3y agoIts not free nor is it low cost. The bill is paid by the taxpayer and costs are very high hence why food delivery is correctly perceived as a luxury. Large companies vacuuming up benefits is the rule not exception hence why its a bad idea to create blank check situations. To give an example many of you may* sympathise with, look at military contracts. Its structured as costs plus so these contractors are incentived to increase the costs to increase their profit. This would be upside down in a free market where your heavily incentived to decrease costs. P.S. "fixed income mobility impaired" Sirs you have outdone yourselves with the euphemisms this time.
- ghaff 3y agoOne question I don’t see explicitly mentioned in the article is what’s covered. Eligible food items are presumably covered but what about delivery fees?
- late25 3y agoSurely no - same with tip (I hope). Otherwise, it’s wide open for abuse and fraud.
- teeray 3y agoIMO they should be waived. Companies shouldn’t be charging fees for access to SNAP benefits. Otherwise it becomes a taxpayer-funded Uber Eats coupon to drive profits via fees that would otherwise not be present.
- gruez 3y ago>IMO they should be waived. Uber isn't a charity. You can't expect groceries delivered to your door for free. >Companies shouldn’t be charging fees for access to SNAP benefits. What's the difference between uber "fees" and grocery store markups?
- dahfizz 3y agoYeah, I have no problem with people using their EBT to pay for groceries; that's what it's for. But it feels wrong for Uber to take a cut
- smileysteve 3y agoThat's my initial take, but then I started thinking about all of the costs associated with owning/borrowing a car, particularly in lower income areas that are often food deserts. Or the time (and job/childcare) issues of taking public transit when in a food desert.
- dahfizz 3y agoI don't really buy this scenario where everyone on food stamps are unable to go to a grocery store. And if that is really true, subsidizing uber with tax dollars is not the solution.
- dark-star 3y agoFood Stamps? WTF, I thought those things only existed during/after the World Wars. TIL that they're still a thing apparently
- woodruffw 3y ago“Food stamps” is the colloquial term in the US for the part of our social security net that provides supplemental benefits for food. The actual programs are WIC, SNAP, TANF, and a few others. They generally work through payment cards these days, not printed stamps.
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- _chu1 3y agoAwkward program that makes no sense, food stamps actively encourage you to not get a job. My sister and her husband had a 1 year old and were given food stamps, but were revoked after her husband had got a job and they told them this beforehand. People who can afford food get food stamps to buy junk food because anything but alcoholic beverages at a grocery store can be bought on food stamps, so you can quite literally get candy and energy drinks with food stamps.
- jjulius 3y agoGiven the fact that "food stamps", as posted in another comment, is a colloquial term, this is absolutely not true. WIC, for instance, gives you a slip of paper with a specific list of the foods and amounts of those foods that you can buy. This is often limited to things like milk, cereal, eggs, baby formula, etc.
- bombcar 3y agoWIC and friends are funded by the feds but implemented by the states, and those on the programs know what can be bought where. Ask any grocery clerk; it’s very common to see someone use SNAP to buy the listed items and then immediately afterwards spend their cash on the other things. Funds are fungible, after all. All of which isn’t really a big deal, tbh. However the program is so large and the hoverment abandoning the purchasing power they could have if they dictated more the “buyables” is a regret. They could have “WIC” stamps on foods that are not only healthy but actively good, low in sugars, etc.
- woodruffw 3y agoIs anybody familiar with Uber Eats and willing to explain some relevant details? For example, is Uber setting the grocery prices here, or are the stores setting the prices? It doesn’t seem unreasonable to allow people to use their food benefits however they want, so long as Uber is not extracting additional rent from the USG by hiking grocery prices through their platform.
- colpabar 3y agoThere is absolutely no way uber isn’t profiting off this. They wouldn’t do it otherwise.
- woodruffw 3y agoI expect them to profit; that’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking whether the grocery prices themselves are dictated by Uber, and not just the delivery and other charges.
- ceejayoz 3y agoAt least in the case of restaurants, markups come from the stores; it can vary widely from place to place. Uber takes a cut, so they either let it cut into their profits and make it up on the extra volume, or they mark it up to compensate.
- runako 3y agoThere are a lot of comments about Uber's markups etc. The accurate comparison is not to Walmart or other large grocer. Often those do not serve urban or rural communities well, primarily due to inaccessibility to the poor. (Think about how many communities live outside of walking distance or off transit from a real grocery store.) The compare to consider is the markup and selection at e.g. a gas station or convenience store, where people increasingly buy food. Those places are known for high prices and low value. It's entirely possible that ordering via Uber Eats/Instacart is a better deal for folks on food aid. And selection is certainly better, relevant to the set of folks who like to shame poor people for the food they eat.
- mrits 3y agoThe $2 hot dog at my gas station would be $15 on UberEats
- runako 3y agoThe entire point of this is that you can use UberEats to buy a $6 pack of 8 hot dogs instead of a single hot dog for $2 at the gas station, if you want hot dogs.
- mrits 3y agoThat is literally not true. 5 pack Oscar Mayer 1 mile away is $6.58 after UberEats markup, $3 service fee, $.99 delivery fee for a total of $10.57
- swader999 3y agoFudge rounds right to the door!
- bryanrasmussen 3y agofor everybody commenting - it's obvious that given the restrictions of food stamps you cannot use them to pay for delivery, you can however use them to pay for the food that was delivered. health benefits can be used for delivery. this is also made reasonably clear in the article (could have been better) Or hey, some cash you have around. on edit: for people who are technical the interest here is almost mainly huh, yeah they separate out the invoicing of the food from the delivery and you pay for the delivery with the health benefits if you have them and you pay for the food with the stamps if you have them.