FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
July 12, 2021 

COLUMBIA, S.C. ― South Carolina Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) participants can use their eWIC cards at self-checkouts at Walmart and Kroger stores, announced the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), which manages the state’s WIC program.

“We are excited to offer our WIC participants the ability to use their cards at self-checkouts. All of our partners and the South Carolina WIC Vendor Management Unit team have worked diligently in making this happen,” said Lorraine Glover, WIC Vendor Management Unit Manager. “This newly available method for checking out should help make WIC participants’ shopping experience easier.” 

Self-checkout can be a faster option for those who are already comfortable making store transactions without the assistance of a cashier. WIC participants should keep a few tips in mind when using their eWIC cards at Kroger and Walmart self-checkout lanes: 

• Your eWIC card must be the first payment type used during the transaction.
• There is no option for a balance inquiry. You’ll need to use a register with a cashier to ask for a balance inquiry.
• For any payment method, removing an item from the transaction requires approval from a store associate. 
• Use the WIC mobile app to scan each WIC item to ensure you have benefits available to purchase. 

Participants will be notified when additional stores are available to accept eWIC at self-checkout. 

South Carolina WIC serves eligible women, infants, and children up to age 5, and the program provides quality nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, nutritious foods, and referrals to health services. There are approximately 72,000 program participants in South Carolina who can shop for healthy food at more than 600 authorized WIC retailers statewide.  Learn more at www.scdhec.gov/wic. 

###