Would You Like Paper, Plastic Or Shame?

Is a $15 gift card enough to compensate for public humiliation at your local grocery store? According to one Georgia woman, the answer is absolutely not.

Cindy Nerger, 28, who relies on food stamps to feed her family, said she was brought to tears after being embarrassed by a manager at a Kroger store in Warner Robbins, Ga.

“He said, ‘Excuse me for working for a living and not relying on food stamps like you,’” Nerger said the manager told her.

This was after a debate regarding whether some of her purchases were covered by food stamps.  Approximately ten dollars worth of items were being questioned, and the manager decided to just give her the items rather than argue.  Yet he said this.

Ten bucks is going to cost Kroger a ton of goodwill and publicity.  This man was out of line, no question.  While the grocery chain has moved  him to a different location, it's still clear that he has no sense of what to say to a customer.

The full article goes on to explain that Nerger's husband owns a business that is struggling, and she has a long-term kidney disease that has her on a waiting list for a transplant.  She is  unable to work, but hopes that once she is healthy she can contribute to society and support her family.  In other words, she's not a freeloader.  She is ill, and deserves a little respect.  She certainly did not deserve to be judged for her use of food stamps.  The notion that only the lazy rely on help has been proven wrong over and over, yet the thickheaded refuse to get the point: smart, hardworking people need help once in a while, too.

I was hoping Kroger would have a better response, but they also haven't had much time.  I'll follow up if something significant comes of this.  Their response was taken from "Public Goofups 101 Disaster Manual" and was as boring and bland as Ben Stein reading Steinbeck.