I’m a mum-of-two and I was left in tears after Tesco rejected my school meal voucher – it made me feel unworthy
A STRUGGLING mum was left in tears in the middle of Tesco's after a member of staff rejected her school meal voucher and forced her to put a trolley of food back.
The anonymous mum-of-two said she was "heartbroken" in front of a "massive queue" when the checkout worker flat out refused to take the £50 lifeline voucher.
Left with the shocking decision of feeding her kids or paying bills - the mum had to empty almost all her shopping.
The 25-year-old told : "I felt unworthy of being there, like I wasn't wealthy enough to shop there and I felt not welcome being on Universal Credit.
"It was heart-breaking, embarrassing and left us short on things for the week."
The £50 school meal voucher is provided by her children's school for the six-week summer holidays.
READ MORE ON COST OF LIVING
The mum from Stoke-on-Trent says she had the e-voucher on her mobile phone, but was told by staff it must be printed off.
This is despite Tesco saying they do accept e-vouchers but were unable to process her one as the code was only partially visible on her phone.
Tesco recommended the mum should change her settings to make the code visible or print it off to allow it to be processed.
The supermarket has since apologised to the mum and said she should come back to the store so they can say sorry in person.
Most read in Money
A Tesco spokesman said: "We're really sorry this happened and for the upset caused to the customer."
Parents claiming Universal Credit with kids who receive free school meals can claim the vouchers to help them through when they're at home.
You can claim up to £90 per child during the summer break, however, this can change depending on the area you live in.
Parents can claim the equivalent of what their child receives at school.
Find out which areas you can get free supermarket vouchers.
Read More on The Sun
It comes as a disabled dad was found to be living on just £1 a day and has been forced to start selling his Blu-Ray DVD collection so he can feed his daughter.
Peter Ainslie is flogging his massive collection to claw back some cash to feed 15-year-old Chloe after free school holiday meal vouchers for low-income families were cut.
Free school holiday meal vouchers
SOME families are eligible for vouchers to help with the cost of food during the summer holidays.
These are equivalent to what children receive at school and can be spent at most major supermarkets.
Usually, parents can claim up to £90 per child during the summer break, but this can change depending on the area you live in.
Mums and dads who claim benefits are able to apply. The benefits included are:
- Income support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act in 1999
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you're not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on paid for 4 weeks until you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit
If your child receives free school meals during term time then they should be entitled to vouchers during the holidays, but it is worth confirming with your local council.