Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Black Friday comes early as computer glitches cause welfare benefits frenzy | Fox News

Black Friday comes early as computer glitches cause welfare benefits frenzy | Fox News: In some Walmart stores, customers emptied shelves like it was Black Friday, while in others, no one could buy anything -- all thanks to a weekend of glitches with the nation's welfare system.

Problems involving Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, the government payments to the poor that are administered by states with the help of private companies, plagued at least 17 states Saturday and Sunday, creating retail riots. At Louisiana stores in Springhill and Mansfield, cards registered no spending limits, prompting recipients to go on buying binges.

"It was worse than any Black Friday,” Springhill Police Chief Will Lynd told local station KSLA-TV.

"It was worse than any black Friday.”

- Wll Lynd, Springhill, La., police chief

Customers said shelves were picked clean in a mob scene that left employees rattled. Walmart spokeswoman Kayla Whaling told the station the company made a conscious decision to keep ringing up goods rather than to cut people off.

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