Smart & Final sells lots of bulk groceries to institutions and small businesses. It is open to the public as well and its stores also stock groceries in smaller quantities for individual shoppers. Many of its competitors also provide financial services such as check cashing, bill payment, and money transfers to their customers. So I decided to see whether this warehouse supermarket provided any of these amenities. It doesn’t appear that Smart & Final offers any additional financial services but I did list a few alternatives in each service category here.
Does Smart & Final Offer Check Cashing?
Smart & Final doesn’t offer a check-cashing service. While many discount grocery stores will cash payroll checks, including Walmart and Food 4 Less, it doesn’t appear that check-cashing is available at this supermarket. Check-cashing services aren’t available at every grocery store because the store needs to keep enough cash on hand to cash checks and this is a security risk. Many grocery stores that do offer this service will only cash checks at specific service counters as well.
Does Smart & Final Sell Money Orders?
Smart & Final doesn’t sell or cash money orders either. Other grocery stores provide these services through their partnerships with Western Union and MoneyGram but Smart & Final doesn’t have partnerships with these institutions. You can buy money orders at other grocery stores, including WinCo and Stater Bros, though. Grocery stores that do sell money orders often sell them at separate service desks.
Can You Send or Receive Money at Smart & Final?
You can’t send or receive money at Smart & Final either. Again, it doesn’t have partnerships with Western Union or MoneyGram, although some stores also provide this service through partnerships with Ria. One alternative in this category is the grocery store Albertsons.
Can You Reload Prepaid Debit Cards at Smart & Final?
Smart & Final doesn’t reload prepaid debit cards either. If you’re looking for an alternative, I checked Green Dot’s map to see where its services were available at grocery stores in my area. I saw pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens on the map as well as other grocery stores such as Walmart. Smart & Final does sell gift cards at its supermarkets, though, and some of these cards may be reloadable elsewhere.
Can You Pay Your Utility Bills at Smart & Final?
Smart & Final doesn’t offer utility bill payment services either. I looked up PayNearMe service locations in my area and saw several stores on the list, including CVS, 7-Eleven, and Walmart, if you’re looking for an alternative. Some grocery stores also provide bill payment services through their partnerships with Western Union.
What Are Smart & Final Alternatives That Provide Financial Services?
Food 4 Less is another warehouse-style discount store that provides several financial services. It’s a subsidiary of Kroger, which has partnerships with several financial service providers. Other Kroger stores, such as Ralphs, also provide financial services.
WinCo is another warehouse-style discount store that provides several financial services. You should only cash checks there if you plan to buy groceries as well, though. It uses a token system to ensure that its check-cashing services are primarily used by its customers.
Walmart provides more financial services than other supermarkets and it also has higher transaction limits than its competitors. It even cashes money orders, unlike other supermarkets. Its services are available at its in-store money centers.
Conclusion
It looks like Smart & Final doesn’t provide any additional financial services but it might not need to provide them because of the way its business model works. Many of its customers are small business owners and it’s likely that they already have business and personal checking accounts at nearby bank branches. They may not need to visit a grocery store for financial services. Other discount grocery stores and convenience stores may get more customers who don’t have traditional checking accounts and need to use alternatives to bank branches.