The shutdown will halt about $8 billion a month in federal food assistance. Walmart captures 24% of all SNAP shopper spending, according to Numerator’s 2025 SNAP Evolution report—triple Kroger’s share and far ahead of Costco, Amazon and Sam’s Club.

Walmart was the first retailer to accept SNAP online in all 50 states in 2023 and launched the Walmart+ Assist program, which offers half-price memberships for those receiving aid.

“If SNAP payments stop, spending by the lowest income groups will fall,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of data and analytics firm GlobalData. “Walmart gets a plurality of the spending, so it will be hit the hardest.”

This was somewhat epiphanic for me.

I already recognized companies such as Walmart were subsidizing pay through social programs such as SNAP and essential funneling/laundering tax payer money to their executives.

This headline made me further realize they’re not only making taxpayers subsidize wages, they’ve also effectively turned the USD into a form of company scrip. While that scrip can be spent at some other locations I bet a large percent of funneled right back to e.g. Walmart itself. If you already work at Walmart it makes spending your SNAP benefit there easier.

  • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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    6 days ago

    I’ll be quite honest, Walmart’s bottom line would be the least of my worries personally

    • Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 days ago

      Even regional grocers will feel this too. Any snap loss, is loss where ebt is accepted. So many different markets…

      • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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        6 days ago

        I’m more worried about the SNAP recipients. Small businesses second and Walmart not at all.

  • Gary Ghost@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Walmart also relies on the government to cover their employees health insurance and food assistance. They might have to start providing health insurance to their employees otherwise we might to start hearing about quiet quitting again.

  • Bakkoda@lemmy.zip
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    7 days ago

    And it’s Walmarts fault. Has been. Always was. Always will be. This is literally their economic model at play.

    FUCK EM.

  • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Trump might have just dog walked himself into something good 😂. It never fails. He fucks things up so bad that the economy collapses and cost of living goes down.

  • Plurrbear@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    GOOD! Fuck the family monopolizing the true message he originally had!!! They’re all fucking trash so honestly fuck Walmart!!!

    • unsettlinglymoist@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      Everyone loses here though. Walmart will only lose money because people can’t spend their SNAP money there and it’s not like they’ll be spending it at more ethical stores.

      • Plurrbear@lemmy.world
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        22 hours ago

        Tell that to the “original ‘Walmart’ family” before they sold out and tell that to Drumpf who told us that prices would be lower ON DAY ONE and NOTHING is true. Food prices are still high, no checks of $5k nor recently $2k plus eggs are still grossly high and gas prices are not nearly what he said….

  • awesomesauce309@midwest.social
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    8 days ago

    So the federal government subsidizes not only Walmart employee wages, but Walmarts grocery sales too? And Mamdani is apparently crazy for saying New York should run its own grocery stores that actually benefit the community instead of making the Walton family richer.

    • awesomesauce309@midwest.social
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      8 days ago

      Wait, I wonder, who was funding that message 🤔

      Alice Walton, the world’s richest woman, listed her address as a post office box in Bentonville, Arkansas — Walmart’s hometown — when she made a $100,000 donation in August, on top of a $100,000 donation in April. Walton has little history of political giving in New York, beyond donating to pro-charter school groups and candidates. Mamdani has said he opposes the expansion of charter schools.

  • FrankFrankson@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    I dunno why it says “If SNAP goes dark” becuase it already did go dark. It’s already been a week woth no payments and it looks like nothing is going to change that. SNAP has already “gone dark”.

  • aramis87@fedia.io
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    8 days ago

    Considering that Walmart is one of the largest corporations benefiting from deliberately underpaying their workers and telling them it’s the government’s job to feed them, I find that my field of fucks is barren.

    • LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      We can be concerned about both things equally, can’t we?

      Edit I used the word “concerned” because I was responding to the comment above me and he said “concerned”. “Interested” would be a more suitable word because this is an interesting topic. We’re interested that Walmart is taking a hit and we’re also interested that snap people are taking a hit. It’s interesting. Tragic for the snap people but interesting for the demise of walmart.

      • myfunnyaccountname@lemmy.zip
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        7 days ago

        Nah. Having seen small towns crushed when Walmart comes in and all the mom & pop shops close. So then your options to shop are Walmart or Amazon or drive to the next town. Fuck em.

        • III@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          Why would anyone avoid their local Walmart just to drive to the next town to use their Walmart?..

          • Azal@pawb.social
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            6 days ago

            You ask that question, in a lot of rural areas the small walmart in town is run down and doesn’t get as much stock. It reduces slowly over time until shopping at that walmart is a waste of time and people go to the next one. So Walmart closes down the “Underperforming” walmart forcing people to go to the bigger one few towns over, centralizing and cutting the amount of staff/delivery locations walmart has to deal with, making them more money.

        • LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          Ok then go back & re-read my comment & the comment I was replying to, and swap the word “concerned” for “interested.”

      • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Equally would be tough for me. The cutting shifts of the workers will suck though. That’s near $ billion that doesn’t need to be shelved and onwards. (Possibly ordered).

  • The Picard Maneuver@piefed.world
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    8 days ago

    That’s so much money. It’s immensely frustrating that any assistance programs we come up with ultimately become a massive wealth transfer to big companies.

    SNAP, subsidized student loans/forgiveness, Medicaid/Medicare, etc. The market will just happily absorb the free taxpayer money and then still raise prices on everyone because of the increased demand.

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      and then still raise prices on everyone because of the increased demand.

      Ostensibly because of increased demand, actually due to greed.

    • Barbarian@sh.itjust.works
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      8 days ago

      In a world not run by the rich, for the rich this wouldn’t be an issue. Just tax large corporations over a certain size at a slightly higher rate and redistribute it back down to the poorest, turning it into a loop.

  • cøre@leminal.space
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    8 days ago

    This isn’t new for Walmart. They have ‘how to apply for food stamps’ employee programs. They have food drives for their employees during the holidays b/c they can’t afford food. All while taking in obscene profits.