Mr. Jimmy Wright, Wright’s Market is the first grocery retailer in the Southeast to launch the highly anticipated SNAP EBT program. Wright’s Market is currently the only independent single-store operator to participate in this launch.
The 2014 Farm Bill mandated a pilot be conducted to test the feasibility and implications of allowing retail food stores to accept SNAP benefits through online transactions. For households to make online purchases, the online shopping and payment pilot is required to be secure, private, easy to use, and provide similar support to that found for SNAP transactions in a retail store. Benefits cannot be used to pay for fees of any type, such as delivery, service, or convenience fees. The goal is to ensure that the foundational infrastructure necessary for running SNAP transactions online operates in a safe and secure manner.
Wright’s Market is a family-owned store that offers convenient shopping with an emphasis on a clean store, personal service, high quality meats and produce, low prices and community service. The store is in its 47th year of serving the Opelika community. In 2016, Wright started their e-commerce division delivering groceries in their Wright 2 U Freshmobile vans. Wright’s Market has garnered several distinguished awards including the 2015 Opelika Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Opelika Award and the 2016 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Dream Big Blue-Ribbon Award Winner. Mr. Wright is a current board member of the Alabama Grocers Association, Alabama Retail Association and a past board member of the National Grocers Association. Consumers can go to www.wrightsmarkets.com for online ordering and to find out more about the SNAP EBT program.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be selected for the SNAP EBT pilot in Alabama,” said Jimmy Wright, Owner, Wright’s Markets. “Now we are able to offer the same experience online as we offer in store and will open the door to start working in rural areas surrounding Opelika. Thanks to all of our partners in the process – USDA, FNS, the Alabama Department of Human Resources, Freshop, Conduent, Fiserv. and the AGA for their support in making this pilot possible.”
In addition to Alabama, current SNAP EBT pilot states include New York, Oregon and Washington with Amazon, ShopRite and Walmart participating in those states. The additional states of Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska and New Jersey will be added in the coming months with retailers Dash’s Market, Fresh Direct, Hy-Vee, Shop Rite, and Safeway participating. For more information, consumers can go to https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/online-purchasing-pilot. “AGA is very proud of the work that Jimmy Wright is doing not only with SNAP EBT but also in industry innovations such as Healthy Food Financing and mobile markets,” said Ellie Taylor, President, Alabama Grocers Association. “The grocery industry is committed to finding ways to provide fresh, healthy foods for our customers.”