How much will NYC’s city-owned grocery stores cost to run? Is this a better use of taxpayer dollars than fixing schools and fighting fentanyl?

Photo above - The Big Promiski, Hey dude, you're in luck - Future NYC Mayor Mamdani plans to open government run supermarkets, to solve the affordable grocery crisis.

NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani thinks the city should build a bunch of supermarkets and staff them with city employees (see link below.) Because city employees like teachers and police have absolutely nailed their duties, and the city is ready to conquer strange new worlds like coffee, and beef inflation.

City owned grocery stores will undoubtedly feature higher wages, lower prices, and no coca cola (giant soft drinks are already banned at city movie theaters.) This campaign promise isn’t about prices and wages though. There are “food deserts” in NYC – places where legitimate supermarket chains fear to tread. Mamdani has promised to rush in and fix all that.

The problem – according to greedy corporations – is rampant shoplifting, drug dealing night and day at the corner, and homeless encampments on sidewalks blocking the entrance. Of course, Mamdani has discovered some clever hack to solve all this, right? Stand by for details.

Nobody knows how many city owned grocery stores are planned. What the prices will be, and how much all those new municipal workers there will be paid. I expect their pay will include healthcare from day one, a city pension plan, and the “can’t get fired unless you’re convicted of a felony” clause– the same deal most teachers have, In any case, the eventual taxpayer cost of "Gotham Groceries.gov" is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside of an enigma. We need to trust the government on this one. Whatever this ends up costing, it will be paid for by higher taxes on corporations, millionaires, and landlords. I’m sure they have no plans to move away.

Candidate Mamdani - sincerely - deserves credit here. He's trotting out a tried and true, very sophisticated political playbook. Step one - Identify the most important things to single issue voters. Step two - promise to fix them, Step 3 - announce details will follow later.

Mamdani will also freeze all rents (hurrah!) make all buses free, offer free municipal child care, in addition to opening all those new grocery stores. If – as a new yorker – you don’t feel rent and childcare is outrageously expensive, then you must already be a millionaire.

We know this sort of campaign chicanery works, because voters always buy into it, year after year. Things like building a wall and making Mexico pay for it. Cancelling all student loan debt. A health program that cuts your cost in half, and solves the national debt problem at the same time. Bring high paying factory jobs back to America by imposing a 100% tariff on whichever nation gets hit next on the dart board. Solve global warming with Tesla subsidies.

If you believed any of those promises, you’re not evil - just a typical American. You should migrate to New York City, vote for Mamdani, and enjoy your free childcare, affordable housing and clean, crime-free paradise. Somebody else will pay for it. You only need to have faith.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

Breaking down Zohran Mamdani's proposals by the numbers: What has he planned and how much will it cost

justanothername · 51-55, M

@jshm2 Well said.
FTR grocery stores of any size have very small profit margins on their products. They would be lucky to make 5% margin on individual sales. As a general rule they would make it up on volume sales aka you go to your local grocery store and fill up your grocery cart with multiple grocery items on each visit. In order to be profitable grocery stores need to be open long hours and every day of the week and have consistent high volume traffic . Fortunately groceries are a necessity of life.
I hear you say..but but but my grocery bill is still expensive! That’s because the wholesale cost of those products keeps rising because of government tariffs.

@susaninflorida
Fun fact. Blue states provide 100% of federal funds for the government. California provides 80% of government funds.
Red states take federal handouts from the government in order to survive.

If it wasn’t for blue states red states would go broke.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@justanothername a municipal grocery store - once it's opened - won't exist to make profits. it will primarily be a re-election stunt for whoever is present at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

public schools, police departments, fire engines, and snowplows don't generate a profit either. municipal grocery stores could become an expensive entitlement.

justanothername · 51-55, M

@SusanInFlorida All grocery stores exist to provide a living for their owner operators, but, as I previously stated their profit margins are very low. Some make 1-2% on each item which means they don’t always survive for long especially if they get hit with rent increases.

Please provide proof of a municipal store that you know off that was only set up as a publicity stunt.