JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville grocery store owner is hopeful for a quick return to normal business operations following the end of the 43-day government shutdown.
That shutdown left many of his customers without SNAP benefits and severely impacted his store’s revenue.
Sajjad Husain, owner of Premier Meats and Seafood, reports his weekly sales have plummeted by $20,000 to $25,000 since the beginning of the month when SNAP benefits were disrupted.
“Fifty percent of my customers they are dependent on SNAP,” said Husain, whose store typically generates between $40,000 to $50,000 in weekly sales.
Husain said because of this he had to get a small loan from a family member, reduce employee work hours and increase his own hours to fill in the staffing gap.
The impact extends beyond the business’s bottom line. Husain said it really hurt him, when he saw some of his regulars who receive snap benefits come in with coins to buy food.
“It’s hurtful, people can’t stay hungry for so long and a lot of these customers are elderly, a lot of them are women with multiple children,” Husain said.
And with the government shutdown over Husain hopes people get their benefits soon.
He also said these past few weeks have taught him a lesson, to put more money away in case hard times come about.
There’s no exact timeline of when SNAP benefits could be released; it could range from days to over a week.