Download:
docx |
pdf
Appendix
I. SNAP Retailer Survey: Data Collection Instrument (English)
OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not
required to respond to, a collection of information unless it
displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for
this information collection is 0584-XXXX. The time required to read
the invitation letter is estimated to average 3 minutes.
The time required to complete the survey is estimated to
average 15 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing
instructions, searching existing data sources, and completing and
reviewing the collection of information.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Third-Party Processor Services, Fees, and Business Practices
SNAP RETAILER SURVEY
DATES:
Survey
Commencement Date: XXX (9:00 a.m. Eastern Time)
Survey
Completion Date: XXX (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)
OMB BURDEN STATEMENT:
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not
conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a
collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control
number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection
is 0584-XXXX. The time required to read the invitation letter is
estimated to average 3 minutes.
The time
required to complete the survey is estimated to average 15 minutes
per response, including the time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, and completing and reviewing the
collection of information.
The Food and Nutrition
Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has
contracted the Manhattan Strategy Group, an independent research
firm, to conduct a retailer satisfaction survey. This survey
examines Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) equipment and payment
processing services used by retailers participating in the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). We invite you
to complete a brief survey that will assist FNS in understanding
how SNAP retailers acquire products and services for processing
in-store SNAP EBT transactions. This information will be used to
develop a set of best practices that can educate retailers
acquiring those EBT products and/or services.
The survey questions focus on
your business procurement and use of (1) EBT card-reading
equipment and (2) EBT payment processing services. The survey
should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. To facilitate
completion of the survey, we encourage you to have on hand a copy
of your terms of agreement and statement/bill for EBT
card-reading equipment and payment processing services.
Your responses to this survey
will not be published in a form that identifies you and will be
kept separate from your contact information. Any information that
can identify individual retailers will not be reported, outside
the research team, except as otherwise required by law. When this
study is completed, FNS will publish a report that will be
available on its website at
https://www.fns.usda.gov/report-finder.
All
questions in this survey refer to the operations of the
retailer located at this address:
SNAP
Retailer Name
Street
Address
City,
State, Zip Code
|
In
this survey, we use the following key definitions:
Card-reading
equipment:
This is the processing equipment used to swipe the EBT and/or
credit or debit card. It may or may not be integrated with other
point-of-sale (POS) equipment.
Payment
processor: A
vendor
that provides electronic payment processing services to complete
an EBT, credit or debit card transaction, and settles the payment
into your business’s account.
To
participate in the study, please check, “Accept”
below.
|
|
Does
your business currently accept EBT?
|
How
many locations does this retailer have under the same corporate
management?
1
store
2
to 9 stores
10
to 49 stores
50
to 100 stores
More
than 100 stores
|
In
addition to EBT, does your business accept credit and/or debit
card payments?
|
Does
your business use the same card-reading equipment for debit,
credit and EBT card payments or does it use a standalone device
for EBT?
We
use the same equipment for all card payments [go
to 7]
We
use a standalone EBT card-reading equipment, separate from the
debit/credit card equipment
Other
(please specify) _______________
|
[Based
on the answer to question 5, the term “EBT card-reading
equipment” will be used for stores with standalone EBT
equipment so that they do not confuse the answers with the ones
for credit and debit card equipment. Stores with integrated
credit/debit/EBT equipment will see “card-reading
equipment” or “payment processor” only. In this
instrument, questions will show “(EBT) card-reading
equipment” to show this distinction]
|
[If
standalone EBT card-reading equipment in selected in question 5]
Was
the equipment acquired in or after September 2015?
|
Does
your business use an inventory management system? This is a
system that automatically tracks the amount of inventory
remaining after each sale.
|
How
many checkout stations, including self-checkout stations, does
your business have at this location?
1
[go
to 10]
2
– 5
More
than 5
|
How
many of these checkout stations accept SNAP EBT payment
transactions?
All
of them
Most
but not all
Some
but not all
Only
1
|
Approximately,
what share of your business's revenues come from SNAP (Food
Stamp Program) payments? Would you say it is:
Up
to 10 percent
Between
10 and 15 percent
Between
15 and 20 percent
Between
20 percent and 25 percent
Above
25 percent
|
Please
indicate your position or title in the business.
[Dropdown]
Store
Manager
Store
Manager and Owner
Owner
Corporate-Level
Position
Other
_________________
|
Decisions
about store equipment & PAYMENT processing services
|
Are
decisions about card-reading equipment and payment processors
made locally or by a corporate office? Very small chains may be
considered local.
|
Were
(EBT) card-reading equipment AND payment processing services
acquired from the same vendor or from separate vendors?
|
Your
(EBT) card reading equipment
|
From
which company did your business acquire the (EBT) card-reading
equipment?
State
EBT processor (FIS, JP Morgan/Chase, Solutran, or Conduent
(formerly Xerox)
Specialized
card equipment retailer [Please enter the retailer name]:
____________________
Your
financial institution/bank [Please enter institution name]:
____________________
Online
retailer (for example, Amazon, Walmart, Staples, etc.) [Please
enter the retailer name]: ____________________
|
What
is the make and model of your (EBT) card-reading equipment?
___________________________________________________
|
Is
the equipment leased or purchased?
|
What
was the length of the lease when last signed?
Month-to-month
12
months
24
months
36
months
More
than 36 months
|
Is
there an early termination fee to cancel the lease?
|
How
long has your business had the (EBT) card-reading equipment?
Less
than 1 year
1
to 3 years
4
to 6 years
More
than 6 years
|
For
the (EBT) card-reading equipment, indicate if the services below
were acquired with the equipment or if the store acquired any of
the services listed from a different vendor.
-
|
Acquired
with equipment
|
Acquired
from a different vendor
|
Not
acquired
|
Equipment
installation
|
|
|
|
Software
installation
|
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
help
|
|
|
|
Equipment
replacement
|
|
|
|
Install/enable
link between EBT equipment and POS system
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify) ____________________
|
|
|
|
|
For
the (EBT) card-reading equipment, indicate if the services
acquired with the equipment were billed as an additional cost or
included in the regular fee.
-
|
Regular
fee
|
Additional
cost
|
Equipment
installation
|
|
|
Software
installation
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
help
|
|
|
Equipment
replacement
|
|
|
Install/enable
link between EBT equipment and POS system
|
|
|
Other
(please specify)
|
|
|
|
Your
choice of (EBT) CARD READING equipment
|
[for
stores that use the same equipment for all card payments in Q5]
How
important was EBT in your business’s decision to select
card-reading equipment?
Very
important
Important
Somewhat
Important
Not
Important
|
Indicate
how important each of the following factors was in your
business's selection of (EBT) card-reading equipment.
-
|
Very
important
|
Important
|
Somewhat
important
|
Not
important
|
Not
applicable
|
Same
card-reading equipment for debit, credit and EBT card
payments
|
|
|
|
|
|
Integration
with inventory software
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up-to-date
hardware
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up-to-date
software
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reliability
(uptime)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
size/counter space
|
|
|
|
|
|
Easy
to operate at checkout
|
|
|
|
|
|
Internet
connection requirements
|
|
|
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
and maintenance help
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
replacement
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warranty
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify) __________
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Satisfaction
with (EBT) CARD READING equipment
|
Indicate
how satisfied your business is with each of the following aspects
of your (EBT) card reading equipment.
-
|
Very
satisfied
|
Satisfied
|
Dissatisfied
|
Very
dissatisfied
|
Not
applicable
|
Same
card-reading equipment for debit, credit and EBT card payments
|
|
|
|
|
|
Integration
with inventory software
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up-to-date
hardware
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up-to-date
software
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reliability
(uptime)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
size/counter space
|
|
|
|
|
|
Easy
to operate at checkout
|
|
|
|
|
|
Internet
connection requirements
|
|
|
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
and maintenance help
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
replacement
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warranty
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify) __________
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FUTURE
USE OF (EBT) CARD READING equipment
|
Would
you use the same (EBT) card-reading equipment in the future?
Yes
[go
to 26]
No
[go
to 27]
|
[if
yes to 25]
Why?
(Check all that apply)
We
are satisfied with the equipment.
A
change would be costly.
Other
equipment offers similar capabilities.
The
research needed to evaluate new equipment is time consuming.
Other
[please specify]:
[go
to 28]
|
[if
no to 25]
Why
not? (Check
all that apply)
Equipment
costs are high.
We
are not satisfied with the equipment.
Other
[please specify]: ____________________
|
What
are the MOST
important factors
in your choice for future (EBT) card-reading equipment lease or
purchase?
(Select up to three factors)
[drop
down selection of items in 23]
-
Same
card-reading equipment for debit, credit and EBT card
payments
|
Integration
with inventory software
|
Equipment
cost
|
Up-to-date
hardware
|
Up-to-date
software
|
Reliability
(uptime)
|
Equipment
size/counter space
|
Easy
to operate at checkout
|
Internet
connection requirements
|
Troubleshooting
and maintenance help
|
Equipment
replacement
|
Warranty
|
Other
(please specify) __________
|
|
What
is the LEAST
important factor
in your choice for a future (EBT) card-reading equipment lease or
purchase?
[Drop
down selection of items in 23]
|
Same
card-reading equipment for debit, credit and EBT card payments
|
|
|
Integration
with inventory software
|
|
|
Equipment
cost
|
|
|
Up-to-date
hardware
|
|
|
Up-to-date
software
|
|
|
Reliability
(uptime)
|
|
|
Equipment
size/counter space
|
|
|
Easy
to operate at checkout
|
|
|
Internet
connection requirements
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
and maintenance help
|
|
|
Ease
to expand use if we grow
|
|
|
Other
[please specify] _________________
|
|
|
(EBT)
Payment PROCESSOR Services
|
This
section focuses on your relationship with your (EBT) payment
processor. For businesses that use the same card-reading
equipment for debit/credit and EBT, your (EBT) payment processor
is the same as your credit/debit payment processor.
|
Which
company does your business use to process EBT payments?
|
What
is the contract length for the (EBT) payment processing
services?
|
Is
there an early termination fee?
|
How
long ago did you contract the (EBT) payment processing services
from the vendor?
Less
than 1 year
1
to 3 years
4
to 6 years
More
than 6 years
|
What
types of fees does your business pay to your (EBT) payment
processor?
(Note:
Some of these fees may be built into your contract.)
-
|
Yes
|
No
|
Up-front
one-time fees
|
Application
processing
|
|
|
Initial
set-up or activation
|
|
|
Recurring
fees
|
Equipment
maintenance
|
|
|
Direct
deposit
|
|
|
Monthly
statement
|
|
|
Customer
service or technical support
|
|
|
Access
to online transactions
|
|
|
Processing
fees
|
Gateway
|
|
|
Settlement
|
|
|
Batch
|
|
|
Address
verification
|
|
|
Transaction
fees
(cost
per swipe + percentage of sale)
|
|
|
Other
(please specify)
|
|
|
|
Indicate
how important each of the following factors was when your
business contracted the services of the (EBT) payment processor?
-
|
Very
important
|
Important
|
Somewhat
important
|
Not
important
|
Not
applicable
|
Transaction
fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monthly
fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
Processing
time for fund to appear in store account
|
|
|
|
|
|
Analytic
tools
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payment
cycle
|
|
|
|
|
|
Network
reliability (processing uptime)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Length
of contract
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical
support
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fraud
protection
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify) __________
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Indicate
how satisfied your business is with each of the following (EBT)
payment processing services?
-
|
Very
satisfied
|
Satisfied
|
Dissatisfied
|
Very
dissatisfied
|
Not
applicable
|
Transaction
fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monthly
fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
Processing
time for fund to appear in store account
|
|
|
|
|
|
Analytic
tools
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payment
cycle
|
|
|
|
|
|
Network
Reliability (processing uptime)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Length
of contract
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical
Support
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fraud
Protection Support
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify) _______
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
history
with payment processor
|
Do
you plan to use the same (EBT) payment processor in the future?
Yes
[go
to 38]
No
[go
to 39]
|
[if
Yes to 37]
Why?
(Check all that apply)
We
are satisfied with the current processor.
A
change would be costly.
Other
equipment offers similar capabilities.
The
research needed is time consuming.
Other
[please specify]:
[go
to 40]
|
[if
No to 37]
Why
not? (Check all that apply)
Processing
fees are too high.
We
are not satisfied with the services provided.
Other
[please specify]: ____________________
|
What
is the MOST
important factor in
your future choice or (EBT) processing services?
[drop
down selection of items in 35]
-
Transaction
fees
|
Monthly
fees
|
Processing
time for fund to appear in store account
|
Analytic
tools
|
Payment
cycle
|
Network
reliability (Processing uptime)
|
Length
of contract
|
Technical
support
|
Fraud
protection
|
Other
(please specify) __________
|
|
What
is the LEAST
important factor in your future choice or (EBT) processing
services?
[drop
down selection of items in 35]
-
Transaction
fees
|
Monthly
fees
|
Processing
time for fund to appear in store account
|
Analytic
tools
|
Payment
cycle
|
Network
reliability (Processing uptime)
|
Length
of contract
|
Technical
support
|
Fraud
protection
|
Other
(please specify) __________
|
[for
retailers using different vendors]
End
of the survey. Thank you for your participation!
|
SAME
Vendor FOR Equipment and Payment Processing Services
|
Which
company did your business acquire (EBT) card-reading equipment
and processing services?
_______________________________________________
|
What
is the length of the contract signed for these products and
services?
|
Is
there an early termination fee?
|
How
long ago did you contract the EBT vendor?
Less
than 1 year
1
to 3 years
4
to 6 years
More
than 6 years
|
For
the (EBT) card-reading equipment, indicate if the services below
were acquired with the equipment or if the store acquired any of
the services listed from a different vendor.
-
|
Acquired
with equipment
|
Acquired
from a different vendor
|
Not
acquired
|
Equipment
installation
|
|
|
|
Software
installation
|
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
help
|
|
|
|
Equipment
replacement
|
|
|
|
Install/enable
link between EBT equipment and POS system
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify)
|
|
|
|
|
For
the (EBT) card-reading equipment, indicate if the services
acquired with the equipment were billed as an additional cost or
included in the regular fee.
-
|
Regular
fee
|
Additional
cost
|
Equipment
installation
|
|
|
Software
installation
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
help
|
|
|
Equipment
replacement
|
|
|
Install/enable
link between EBT equipment and POS system
|
|
|
Other
(please specify)
|
|
|
|
For
payment processing services, what types of fees does your
business pay? (Note: Some of these fees may be built into your
contract)
-
|
Yes
|
No
|
Up-front
one-time fees
|
Application
processing
|
|
|
Initial
set-up or activation
|
|
|
Recurring
fees
|
Equipment
maintenance
|
|
|
Direct
deposit
|
|
|
Monthly
statement
|
|
|
Customer
service or technical support
|
|
|
Access
to online transactions
|
|
|
Processing
fees
|
Gateway
|
|
|
Settlement
|
|
|
Batch
|
|
|
Address
verification
|
|
|
Transaction
fees
(cost
per swipe + percentage of sale)
|
|
|
Other
(please specify)
|
|
|
|
Indicate
how important each of the following factors were when your
business last contracted the services of the card reader and
payment processor vendor?
-
(EBT)
Card-reading Equipment
|
Very
important
|
Important
|
Somewhat
important
|
Not
important
|
Not
applicable
|
Same
card-reading equipment for debit, credit and EBT card payments
|
|
|
|
|
|
Integration
with inventory software
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up-to-date
hardware
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up-to-date
software
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reliability
(uptime)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
size/counter space
|
|
|
|
|
|
Easy
to operate at checkout
|
|
|
|
|
|
Internet
connection requirements
|
|
|
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
and maintenance help
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
replacement
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warranty
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify) __________
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
Payment
Processor
|
Very
important
|
Important
|
Somewhat
important
|
Not
important
|
Not
applicable
|
Transaction
fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monthly
fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
Processing
time for fund to appear in store account
|
|
|
|
|
|
Analytic
tools
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payment
cycle
|
|
|
|
|
|
Network
reliability (processing uptime)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Length
of contract
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical
support
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fraud
protection
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify) __________
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Indicate
how satisfied your business is with each of the following
EBT-related products and services?
-
(EBT)
Card-reading Equipment
|
Very
satisfied
|
Satisfied
|
Dissatisfied
|
Very
dissatisfied
|
Not
applicable
|
Same
card-reading equipment for debit, credit and EBT card payments
|
|
|
|
|
|
Integration
with inventory software
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up-to-date
hardware
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up-to-date
software
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reliability
(uptime)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
size/counter space
|
|
|
|
|
|
Easy
to operate at checkout
|
|
|
|
|
|
Internet
connection requirements
|
|
|
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
and maintenance help
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
replacement
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warranty
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify) __________
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
Very
satisfied
|
Satisfied
|
Dissatisfied
|
Very
dissatisfied
|
Not
applicable
|
Transaction
fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monthly
fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
Processing
time for fund to appear in store account
|
|
|
|
|
|
Analytic
tools
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payment
cycle
|
|
|
|
|
|
Network
Reliability (processing uptime)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Length
of contract
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical
Support
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fraud
Protection Support
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
(please specify) _______
|
|
|
|
|
|
[end
of survey of retailers with central corporate office decision]
End
of the survey. Thank you for your participation!
|
At
this time, do you plan to use the same vendor in the future?
Yes
[go
to 52]
No
[go
to 53]
|
[if
Yes go to 51]
Why?
We
are satisfied with the current processor.
A
change would be costly.
Other
equipment offers similar capabilities.
The
research needed is time consuming.
Other
[please specify]:
[Go
to 54]
|
[if
No to 51]
Why
not?
Current
vendor costs are too high.
We
are not satisfied with the services provided.
We
will no longer participate in EBT.
Other
[please specify]: ____________________
|
What
is the MOST
important factor
in your future choice of EBT vendor?
[drop
down selection of items in 49]
-
Same
card-reading equipment for debit, credit and EBT card
payments
|
Integration
with inventory software
|
Cost
|
Up-to-date
hardware
|
Up-to-date
software
|
Reliability
(uptime)
|
Equipment
size/counter space
|
Easy
to operate at checkout
|
Internet
connection requirements
|
Trouble-shooting
and maintenance help
|
Equipment
replacement
|
Warranty
|
Transaction
fees
|
Monthly
Fees
|
Processing
time for fund to appear in store account
|
Analytic
tools
|
Payment
cycle
|
Network
reliability (Processing uptime)
|
Length
of contract
|
Technical
support
|
Fraud
protection
|
|
What
is the LEAST
important factor in your future choice of EBT vendor?
[Drop
down selection of items in 49]
-
Same
card-reading equipment for debit, credit and EBT card payments
|
Integration
with inventory software
|
Equipment
cost
|
Up-to-date
hardware
|
Up-to-date
software
|
Reliability
(uptime)
|
Equipment
size/counter space
|
Easy
to operate at checkout
|
Internet
connection requirements
|
Troubleshooting
and maintenance help
|
Equipment
replacement
|
Warranty
|
Transaction
fees
|
Monthly
fees
|
Processing
time for fund to appear in store account
|
Analytic
tools
|
Payment
cycle
|
Network
reliability (processing uptime)
|
Length
of contract
|
Technical
support
|
Fraud
protection
|
END
OF SURVEY.
Thank
you for your participation
PRIVACY
ACT STATEMENT
Authority:
Section 4011 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79; “2014
Farm Bill”) ended the provision of EBT equipment and services
free of charge to retailers participating in SNAP and authorizes
collection of the information on this application.
Purpose:
Information is collected primarily for use by the Food and Nutrition
Service to inform future FNS policies regarding requirements for
vendors providing EBT equipment and services to authorized retailers
and TPP services-related guidance for retailers.
Routine
Use: Information may be disclosed for any of the routine uses listed
in the published System of Record notice
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/12/27/2010-32457/privacy-act-revision-of-privacy-act-systems-of-records#p-30
Disclosure:
Study results will not share individual respondent information but
will be analyzed and reported aggregately. Individual responses will
not be shared outside the research team.
File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
Author | shirley eng |
File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
File Created | 2021-01-21 |