Walmart, Kroger partner with SC WIC program

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Department of Health and Environmental Control says two major grocery chains will begin accepting payments from South Carolina Women, Infant, and Children program participants.

DHEC says the SC WIC program serves eligible women, infants, and children up to age 5 by providing quality nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion, nutritious food, and referrals to health services.

Starting Monday DHEC says the approximately 72,000 program participants in South Carolina can use their eWIC cards at self-checkouts at Walmart and Kroger stores.

DHEC manages the state’s WIC program and they say self-checkout can be a faster option for those who are already comfortable making store transactions without the assistance of a cashier.

“We are excited to offer our WIC participants the ability to use their cards at self-checkouts. All of our partners and the South Carolina WIC Vendor Management Unit team have worked diligently in making this happen,” WIC Vendor Management Unit Manager Lorraine Glover said. “This newly available method for checking out should help make WIC participants’ shopping experience easier.”

DHEC says WIC participants should keep a few tips in mind when using their eWIC cards at Kroger and Walmart self-checkout lanes:

• eWIC cards must be the first payment type used during the transaction.
• There is no option for a balance inquiry. Participants need to use a register with a cashier to ask for a balance inquiry.
• For any payment method, removing an item from the transaction requires approval from a store associate.
• Participants can use the WIC mobile app to scan each WIC item and ensure benefits are available to make a purchase.

Participants will be notified when additional stores are available to accept eWIC at self-checkout.

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