Schnucks’ delivery, pickup orders now eligible for EBT Snap payment
Through the company’s partnership with Instacart, Schnuck Markets today announced that Schnucks Delivers and curbside pickup orders are now eligible for EBT SNAP payment. With this program, EBT SNAP participants will now be able to use their benefits to access qualified fresh food and pantry staples online from Schnucks’ 110 locations across four states.
The launch follows the USDA’s April announcement extending Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits to the summer months for families with children facing financial hardships, as well as the USDA Food and Nutrition Services’ most recent approval allowing Schnucks and Instacart to launch their SNAP online partnership.
Bob Hardester, Schnucks chief information and supply chain officer, says that lack of transportation often serves as a barrier to the grocery store and this new option provides many Schnucks customers a way to meet their families’ nutritional needs without compromising quality.
[Read more: Hy-Vee to accept SNAP/EBT for grocery pickup orders]
“One of our community pillars at Schnucks is to help the communities that we serve fight food insecurity and hunger,” Hardester said. “Extending EBT SNAP eligibility to Schnucks Delivers and curbside pickup orders increases accessibility to nutritious food and sustenance to those most in need in the areas we serve.”
To help subsidize costs for EBT SNAP participants, Instacart will waive delivery or pickup fees through Sept. 16 on the first three EBT SNAP orders for each customer with a valid EBT card associated with their Instacart account. Curbside Pickup remains free on orders of $35 or more.
Once a customer profile is created on the Instacart website or mobile app, Schnucks customers can enter their EBT food card information as a form of payment in their profile. Customers will need a secondary form of payment for non-food items such as taxes, tips and fees per federal SNAP guidelines.
[Read more: Giant shoppers can use SNAP benefits for grocery pickup, delivery]
Customers can then enter their zip code to determine if they are near a participating retailer, and begin shopping and selecting items from retailers’ EBT-eligible products. Once items are added to their cart, customers will be able to select how much of their benefits they would like to allocate to the order. Orders for delivery and pickup can be placed by customers for receipt in as fast as an hour or scheduled several days in advance.
“Providing people access to the food they love is at the core of Instacart’s mission. We’re proud to partner with Schnucks to provide more families with a convenient and accessible way to get their fresh food and pantry staples,” said David Healy, retail partnerships at Instacart. “Expanding EBT SNAP to reach same-day online grocery delivery and pickup is important to help Americans access the food they need, and we look forward to introducing this payment integration across four states with Schnucks.”