Zohran Mamdani

Natalie Dowzicky | 10.30.2025 12:20 PM

New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani says City Hall needs to get into the grocery business because New Yorkers are being "priced out" of private supermarkets. If elected, Mamdani says he'll spend $60 million on opening one government-run grocery store in each of the five boroughs that would deliver healthier produce at lower prices. Here's why that's a terrible idea.

Mamdani says that New Yorkers should think of city-run grocery stores as a "public option" that would deliver cheaper food by saving on rent and taxes. And they wouldn't need to make a profit.

Except profit margins for grocery stores are typically below 2 percent, and private grocers keep costs down by utilizing complex supply chains and........

© Reason.com