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The Giant Company launches SNAP EBT payment for online orders

Service initiated in Pennsylvania, with plans to go chainwide this month

Russell Redman

August 5, 2021

3 Min Read
Giant_Food_Stores_supermarket-Giant_Direct_truck_0.jpg
Giant said minimum order requirements won’t apply to SNAP customers for purchases via its Giant Direct and Martin's Direct online grocery services.The GIANT Company

The Giant Company has begun accepting electronic benefit transfer (EBT) payments for online grocery orders from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) customers in its home state of Pennsylvania.

Carlisle, Pa.-based Giant said Thursday that SNAP participants can shop online through its Giant Direct and Martin’s Direct services and pay with their Pennsylvania EBT ACCESS card, for both grocery pickup and delivery orders. About 1.8 million people in Pennsylvania currently use SNAP benefits, the grocer said, citing data from the state’s Department of Human Services.

“Making sure the communities we serve have access to nutritious food is at the core of who The Giant Company is and central to our purpose of connecting families for a better future,” Matt Simon, vice president of brand experience at Giant, said in a statement. “Now, customers who participate in SNAP can enjoy the convenience of online shopping, while still receiving the same low prices and maximizing their SNAP benefits for the food they need to share a healthy meal with their family.”

To shop via Giant Direct or Martin’s Direct, SNAP customers add their EBT card information, put groceries in their virtual cart and then enter their PIN to pay for eligible items. SNAP benefits can be used only on specific food items, just as when SNAP participants shop in stores, Giant noted. The retailer said minimum order requirements won’t apply to SNAP online customers, but pickup and delivery fees will be applied to each order.

Related:Tops to expand SNAP EBT payment for Instacart orders

Plans call for Giant to start accepting SNAP EBT payment for online orders in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia later this month. Overall, the grocer operates about 190 stores under the Giant, Martin’s and Giant Heirloom Market banners plus more than 150 online pickup hubs and grocery delivery service in hundreds of ZIP codes in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. 

“Though we are beginning to emerge from the public health crisis, COVID-19 still remains a danger to many, especially because many SNAP recipients are older and may have chronic health conditions,” commented Meg Snead, acting secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. “The SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot has given thousands of Pennsylvanians the ability to safely shop for fresh groceries and pantry staples during this health crisis. We are grateful that The Giant Company has joined this program, and we encourage SNAP recipients to take advantage of this convenience.”

The Giant Company is the third Ahold Delhaize USA supermarket chain to enable SNAP EBT payment for online orders. Food Lion began accepting EBT for SNAP online grocery orders chainwide in May, while Landover, Md.-based Giant Food started offering that payment option for SNAP online customers last month.

Related:Publix, Save Mart, Price Chopper launch SNAP EBT for Instacart orders

Under the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot, launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in April 2019, 47 states and the District of Columbia now allow SNAP beneficiaries to shop and pay for groceries online.

Read more about:

Ahold Delhaize USA

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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