Thousands of Kroger customers anxiously buying last-minute holiday dinner supplies and other items were faced with long lines on Christmas Eve afternoon when the grocer’s credit- and debit-card machines went down.

Kroger itself confirmed the incident about  2 p.m. “Our EBT system was down for a short period of time,” the Cincinnati-based retailer said. “It is now fixed and working properly.”

Kroger has more than 4,000 stores across the country.

Social media was awash with complaints.

Customers were having to pay cash instead of using their credit cards.

Others wound up leaving the store.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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