The Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system suffered glitches in Louisiana, causing a community of food stamp recipients to rush to Walmart in order to take advantage of "limitless" spending on their EBT cards, which usually has finite limits, depending on the recipient's income.

EBT cards, financed through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), make it possible for state welfare departments to distribute cash assistance electronically through encoded cards. The cards allow food and cash benefits, and can only be used for the purchase of food and non-alchoholic beverages.

For a number of hours this past weekend, EBT-using patrons who visited Walmart stores noticed that there was no limitation on the use of their digital EBT card, prompting them to rack up. They scurried around the stores, emptying shelves. The glitch was caused by a power outage during a routine maintenance test, Xerox stated. Xerox hosts some of the EBT's infrastructures, making them partly responsible for this weekend's events.

Walmart workers, who were baffled by the situation, phoned the corporation's headquarters, and asked how they should proceed. And, the Walmart big wigs instructed their workers to allow the shoppers to continue on with the unlimited, government-funded spending sprees. A Walmart representative said that they allowed the EBT cards to continue to be used because they wanted shoppers to feed their families.

Police were called in to help maintain order in Springhill and Mansfield, as shoppers abandoned carts, ran through the aisles, grabbing and purchasing whatever they could hold in their arms. Police spokesmen have said that there were no injuries or arrests.

Shoppers were divided on the subject of free food. Some considered it stealing -- stating that there is no such thing as free food, and that Walmart should have to cover the cost of the food "sold," not the government. Other indicated that it was simply "human reaction," that people are likely to take advantage when given the opportunity, especially people in need.