Posted on 04/14/2026 1:15:49 PM PDT by Libloather
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to open the city’s first government-run supermarket in East Harlem next year, a move critics warn could cost taxpayers millions and undercut nearby private grocers.
Mamdani vowed during an address celebrating his first 100 days in office Sunday that the city will have five government-run grocery stores by the end of his first term on Jan. 1, 2030, falling in line with promises made during his campaign.
"I was elected as a Democratic socialist, and I will govern as a Democratic socialist," Mamdani said.
But Daniel Di Martino, a Venezuelan-born fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said Mamdani's plans for government-run grocery stores will fail "like every other socialist experiment" does.
"The city is going to spend a very large amount of money, and they are not going to cater to the needs of the local consumers, because they have no profit incentive," Di Martino said. "Why does the grocery store have the items you want? Because they can make money from things you want. The government grocery store does not care about what you want because they don't care about profits."
In February, Mamdani pushed for $70 million in funding for the Economic Development Corporation to select sites and build five city-run grocery stores — one in each borough. Construction costs for the city's first government grocery store at La Marqueta are estimated at $30 million — half of the project's proposed budget.
"Mamdani says the city is not going to have to pay rent because the place is already owned by the city," Di Martino said. "But there is a cost. It's called an opportunity cost. The city could have rented or sold that location to a private actor, and instead we're going to miss that revenue."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“Bet everyone of those folks get SNAP....”
The Gimmes are always looking for handouts.
The best bribes for vote getting cost next to nothing.
Most New York City adults who pay for public transportation use passes.
Who is in control of the books (all sets of them). If “the right people” have them, of course the stores will succeed!
You were not elected “as a democrat socialist”
You hid the ‘socialist’ part all during your campaign.
Not ever denying it, not ever pretending you were something else, just never coming out and saying it.
It was clear that’s what you were to anyone with a brain, but it was NOT what you ‘ran as’- you ran as a DEMOCRAT.
I’ll be willing to bet a large majority do as well. If I had to guess, he’s trying to say he at least did something, whether or not it actually solved any problems, is completely irrelevant to the left.
Looks to me like the products displayed in the pics will last about 30 minutes judging from the looks of the lines waiting outside.
“Construction costs for the city’s first government grocery store at La Marqueta are estimated at $30 million”
Yeah, right.
Ahhhhh,,,,,yes,,,,that picture clearly shows the “warmth of socialism”.
(for free, of course). they use “for the common good” donchaknow
Speaking off”truckload” The mayor could outlaw surcharges for NYC deliveries.
The great satirical novelist Terry Southern (Dr. Strangelove), wrote in The Magic Christian (novel made into a movie with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr) about a grocery store set up to have ridiculously low prices to help the poor. The poor people turned greedy and went of control grabbing everything off the shelves, pushing and stomping each other to get it all.
Grand Opening, Grand Closing.
East Harlem, where violent crime is 121% higher than the national average.
“Here’s how you know you’re in a grocery store in a bad neighborhood, when they hold the pricing gun sideways” 😉
(from Joe DeVito on Gutfeld tonight)
Great joke.
Photo....
I knew that hussy Svetlana would clean out the last rutabaga before I go off my ditch digging job. She must be smiling to herself right now.
To be honest, I am shocked at the slowness and narrowness of his grocery plan.
Impatient people are not going to want to wait that long and they will demand free, not reasonably low priced, foods.
By 2020 opening the main interest of New Yorkers will be to see if they can safely get to and from places with violent riots everywhere.
Watts Riots, Rodney King LA riots, Detroit 1967 and others interrupted normal supply chains.
typo
by 2030
Photo....
Store music system——Frank Sinatra oldie.
It’s a quarter to 3
and no one in the place
except you and me.
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