A possible glitch in a computer system upgrade was causing major problems nationwide with the Electronic Benefits Transfer System on Saturday, as a countless number of shoppers found themselves stranded at the register.
Reports from around the country began pouring in around 9 a.m. on Saturday that customers’ EBT cards were not working in stores.
The glitch, however, did not appear to be part of the government shutdown. At 2 p.m., an EBT customer service representative told CBS Boston that the system was currently down for a computer system upgrade.
A check here in Central New York, however, showed that grocery chains were apparently unaffected.
We are being told that a technical services vendor (Xerox) had a power outage which did affect being able to pay with a benefits card in several states.