is aimed at overpriced corporate supermarket chains, such as Gristedes. I did not know this and need to find out more about it but, apparently millions of dollars of NYC tax money is currently going to these corporate supermarket chains. I’m guessing that money is incentive to open in poor food desert neighborhoods. But once they take that money to open a store in a neighborhood that desperately needs a grocery they charge ridiculously high prices.
Mamdani’s idea is to use those millions to put a NYC-run grocery store instead of paying the greedy corporate store to be there. The city-owned and run stores wouldn’t have to pay rent or property tax and could sell food at wholesale prices.
He’s not proposing to replace all grocery stores (or any bodegas). Reasonably priced stores like Trader Joe’s will be fine. The idea is to add a network of less expensive grocery stores to give greedy corporate stores competition and put pressure on them to stop price gouging and lower their prices.
The devil is in the details so I’ll have to learn more myself to decide whether I think Mamdani’s idea will work. But at least he is coming up with actual ideas to try to make my awesome beloved city more affordable for regular, unwealthy people.
