Yes I can imagine.I worked in a grocery store 25+ years ago and watched the same stuff go on then and it has not got any better.
I was a bagger/cart boy in a Pennsylvania supermarket 40 years ago. Same crap. Some well-dressed sleaze would use food stamps at the checkout and I would help her load up her brand new Lincoln Continental. No tip, either.
I'd think that with computerized EBT cards, it would be easier to weed out fraudulent purchases, for instance anything with "FritoLay" or "Pepsi" in the line item automatically gets disallowed.
I'd also think that it would make everything easier to audit. I used to turn in PCard stuff to my employer when I was travelling 90% of the time. I can assure you that my statements were gone over with a fine toothed comb. Anything that was even a little questionable needed to be accounted for.
Of course, my employer actually had a vested interest in where their money was disbursed, unlike the bureaucrats running the gov't programs. 'Tisn't their money being spent. (/sarc)
I work in a grocery store currently and see this happen every day. Often time they load their expensive items into a high end newer car such as M3’s, 5 series, assorted Lexus sedans and SUV’s, Audi’s, and my personal favorite the Escalade with expensive aftermarket rims, tires and stereo.