Tops to offer SNAP service
Supermarket chain to allow eligible customers to shop for delivery with Instacart
Tops Friendly Markets is joining other supermarket chains in giving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-eligible customers, the ability to shop online using the Instacart delivery service.
Shoppers who use a SNAP, or food stamp, EBT card, can have curbside pickup or delivery via Instacart.
Tops offers Instacart services at 126 locations in New York locations including in Greene County, Hoosick Falls, Rensselaer County as well as Bolton Landing and Chestertown in the Adirondacks.
In the coming weeks, Tops will also be expanding Instacart services at its Pennsylvania and Vermont locations.
“Tops Friendly Markets is excited to pilot these services in our largest market of Instacart stores,” said Jill Sirica, manager, digital marketing for Tops. “At the core of Tops mission is combating food insecurity and this will help bridge that gap of helping families gain accessibility to healthy and affordable food.”
“Providing people access to the food they love is at the core of Instacart’s mission. We’re proud to partner with Tops Friendly Markets to provide more families with a convenient and accessible way to get their fresh food and pantry staples,” said David Healy, who heads retail partnerships at Instacart.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal program that provides assistance for low- and no-income U.S. residents to purchase food. SNAP benefits are processed through the Electronic Benefit Transfer debit card system. By linking an EBT card to an Instacart account (either website or mobile app), you confirm that your card information is current and valid.
To successfully use an EBT card at a Tops location online, a credit or
debit card must be linked to your Instacart account to cover non-food fees, such as bottle deposits in some states, taxes, delivery tips, and any other non-ebt Snap-eligible items that you may want to purchase per federal SNAP guidelines. Customers can then enter their zip code to determine if they are near a participating Tops, and begin shopping and selecting items from Tops’ Ebt-eligible products.
Once items are added to their cart, customers will be able to select how much of their benefits they would like to allocate to the order.
Orders for delivery and pickup can be placed by customers for receipt in as fast as an hour or scheduled several days in advance.
To help subsidize costs for EBT SNAP participants, Instacart will waive delivery or pickup fees through Sept. 16 on up to the first three EBT SNAP orders for each customer with a valid EBT card associated with their Instacart account. For more information about EBT SNAP on Instacart, visit www.instacart.com/ebt-snap.
Tops Markets operates 157 full-service supermarkets with five additional franchise stores.
In addition to Tops, Instacart offers SNAP delivery service with the Hannaford, Price Chopper/market 32, and Aldi grocery chains.