I don't see any reason why not; food is food. - Neal Jansons

Well, they only accept AMEX - I don't understand their policies. - Mona Nomura from IM

Seems silly to have to pay 40 bucks to get in the door, then use foodstamps. - Josh Haley

it's definitely more bang for your buck, but the only problem is every time i go there, i spend like 300 bucks on 10 items. it's a little crazy.. but yeah, they should accept food stamps--food is food and those stamps are money, so it should be a no-brainer - Melissa Maskevich

The NYTimes argues: " 1. They did not think they would qualify based on the federal government requirements. 2. It was too expensive to adapt their equipment to accept food stamps. 3. With their annual fee/bulk-purchase model, people on food stamps probably could not shop there anyway." - Mona Nomura

@Mona they have a contract signed with AMEX to only accept cash, check, and AMEX. I think in return AMEX gives them lower txn processing fees. - Roshan Vyas

The Costco in Seattle accepts Mastercard/Visa (and possibly others?) if you use it as debit. For credit, they only do AMEX, though. - Rochelle

yeah, i use my visa there - Melissa Maskevich

It's possible that the $40 fee might still be worth it for those on foodstamps. They can only stretch so far, anyway. I think the option should be there unless there are major consequences to Costco for doing so. - Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah

any program like food stamps has rules, some very arbitary, like you can use them for cake but not decorated cake - Robert Hafer

Hmmm wouldn't that be up to both the consumer and corporation to work out, Robert? - Mona Nomura

Do the math. Costco is not a very good deal across the board. It's a pretty big sham. Coupons at kroger saves us close to 50%. But hey, it's your money/foodtsamps - Josh Haley

It depends on the user, imho. Just like ping.fm and Twitter. ;) - Mona Nomura from IM

Robert, it's not arbitrary. You cannot buy any prepared foods with food stamps. That includes a premade cake. You can buy non-prepared foods including boxed cake mix or ingredients to make a cake. The USDA Food Stamp Act explains this in great detail. - Rochelle

@Josh: actually, it's partly MY MONEY if you're using food stamps...so please stick to the necessary items and let those who can afford to have someone else prepare their cakes eat the prepared cakes. - Craig Eddy

Craig, thank you, yes. I was so focused on the idea of Costco not being a deal that I forgot thet WE pay for foodstamps. Which makes me think that it would be very lame if foodstamps were allowed to pay for costco membership fees. - Josh Haley

Josh, there's a difference between accepting foodstamps for payment with regards to food and accepting foodstams for payment with regards to the membership fee. I'm not seeing where anyone suggested people be able to pay for the membership fees, new tires, flat screen TVs, or anything else with food stamps. Only that they be able to purchase approved food items with food stamps. - FFing Enigma (aka Tina)

While I'm not opposed to Costco taking food stamps for food items but I would assume that a person on food stamps might have better things to do with their discretionary cash then purchase a membership in Costco! - Paul

Yes, Tina. I said "if" :) - Josh Haley

It's what, $40 for the year, so about $0.75 a week for someone to possibly be able to save significantly on bread, milk, and formula? Even as a tax payer I can't justify griping about someone's choice to spend 75 cents a week on a membership... - FFing Enigma (aka Tina)

I think it actually makes sense for those on food stamps to attempt to use places like this. They can sacrifice $50 a year in their cash for saving $50-100 in public cash every two months on food and supplies. It just makes financial sense really. - xero

But it's NOT a good deal. The math isn't really there. - Josh Haley

All the numbers we've ever run show Costco way ahead for our typical food basket. The milk, eggs, and veggies alone are a huge savings. Plus coupons work at Costco plus they have cheap gas. - Todd Hoff

Formula is covered by WIC and is completely free, but you can only "buy" it in your assigned store. And the baby's doctor must fill out a "prescription" for the exact brand & type of formula you are going to be receiving. What stores you allowed to choose from is based on what he puts on that paper and what is available at the stores on their list. - April Russo (app103)

Yaa, only if you own a car, since boxes of food are so huge. - imran

April - Another good reason to breastfeed, if possible. - Elizabeth

I didn't find any value being a Costco member, I don't think people on food stamps will either. - Bob Gannon

@Bob one word: MILK. The amazing discount you get at wholesale clubs on milk will usually save money far above the cost of membership, if you have people who drink milk at home. My ex and son could go through 3 gallons a week, so a 60c per gallon savings added up FAST. - Ladybug Heather

No. - Michael Forian

As a Costco shopper, I find huge savings on butter, eggs, produce, and unprocessed meat (whole chickens, etc.) I haven't done all the math, but I'm glad the government is at least looking into it. I should add, we do some pretty serious couponing at Kroger and Albertsons. - ha3rvey (wants confit)

Man, I dunno. i hate to have the smelly rabble interfering with my gentrified bargain shopping. - Chris Baskind