There are numerous stores that advertise in-store windows stating they accept SNAP benefit purchases. So, I went to a large supermarket on the southeast side of my Grand Rapids neighborhood on Tuesday to see the impact the business is having.
The moment you walk into Great Giant Supermarket, it showcases that shoppers can get double the fruits and veggies with their SNAP benefits. Despite the incentives, the owner here says that last week he noticed fewer people shopping the aisles.
“It’s been a little bit on a softer side,” Great Giant Supermarket Owner Avin Yelda said. “We felt that from last week, when the fear came into people. People were just scared of the unknown.”
This supermarket is in the Madison Area neighborhood. Yelda explains that there has always been a grocery store here for decades. It wasn’t until 2018 that he and his family stepped in to provide food to their neighbors.
‘People were just scared of the unknown’: SNAP cuts ripple through local stores
“We have great burgers here, and then we have a full-service counter. Always full, always fresh,” Yelda added.
This supermarket owner’s father started up this business from a liquor store in Detroit…