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Mamdani’s folly: capitalists have already solved the grocery problem

There are at least 76,000 supermarkets in the United States.

Most of us probably have a dozen within 10 miles of home.

Nevertheless, leftists are constantly trying to convince us that we need government-run grocery stores.

The latest is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has promised to open five city-run markets to combat “out-of-control” grocery prices by getting rid of the “profit motive,” passing on the savings to consumers.

The first glaring problem with Mamdani’s plan is that the “profit motive” is the best device to create savings.

Mamdani says he looks “forward to the competition” from the private sector, and “may the most affordable grocery store win.”

NYC grocers lobby Council Speaker Julie Menin to fight Mayor Mamdani’s controversial grocery-store plan

Zo’s pet-project grocery: Letters to the Editor — April 17, 2026

Mamdani’s plan to spend a whopping $30M to open NYC-owned supermarket stuns grocery executives: ‘I almost fell back’

But it’s not really “competition” when a government official untethered from the “profit motive” can use endless taxpayer subsidies to keep his business afloat.

The Mamdani Mart in East Harlem, for instance, will be built on land already owned by the city, and it’s still going to cost $30 million, if government estimates are right — a rarity.

In the real world, these exorbitant costs would be passed on to........

© New York Post