Socialist grocery stores are coming to New York City.
That’s wonderful news. A lot of thoughtful people have been racking their brains, looking for some way to convince younger voters that socialism isn’t the panacea they have been led to believe.
And here it comes.
The ridiculous mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, is determined to prove that socialism works. On July 27, his administration released a Request for Proposals (RFP), inviting applications from anyone who would like to be selected as the “Groceries Program Operator” for America’s most populous city.
“N.Y.C. Groceries will make food more affordable in New York City and prove that government, in productive partnership with mission-aligned partners, can take bold steps to improve the everyday lives of residents and workers alike,” the RFP begins.
It’s not about making food available to people who are struggling with the high cost of living. If that was the case, New York could spend city funds to open food banks, issue government-backed discount cards, or create a city program that distributes vouchers to use at participating grocery stores.
But the purpose is to “prove” that socialism works.
On page 4: “N.Y.C. Groceries will prove that government can make healthy food more affordable for New Yorkers. It will show that fresh food at fair prices can be achieved through the efficient use of public resources. It will create quality jobs that provide workers with family-sustaining wage and benefit packages, and a safe and dignified workplace.”
All that. And that’s not all.
“Moreover, it will offer a model for future programs that move New York City past the cost-of-living crisis and into a more just, inclusive economic future.”
How, exactly?
Mamdani and the rest of his team of Tinkertoy slum builders don’t know how to run a grocery store, or even a lemonade stand, for that matter. So the RFP is intended to find a private company with experience running grocery stores to operate this thing according to the strict “scope, structure and requirements” of the Tinkertoy team.
The plan is to open “five (5) grocery stores that provide a unified, welcoming and excellent shopping experience for all New Yorkers,” with each store offering a “Core Basket of in-demand, healthy, fresh foods set on average at below retail prices.” The stores also must align with “community needs, as well as key food, health and economic justice priorities of the City” and the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
But how?
The city will spend the hard-earned tax dollars of its residents to construct the five stores, to pay for brand design, to cover rent and property taxes, and to subsidize the discounted groceries. New York taxpayers will also “provide additional payments for operators meeting benchmarks for exceptional performance.”
In the private sector, this type of additional payment is called “profits.” Socialists hate them and think they should be heavily taxed to pay for programs that “prove” the government can do it better.
A few obvious questions have arisen. How will the operators prevent people who live outside New York City from coming to the grocery stores to buy city-subsidized, discounted groceries?
The answer from the Tinkertoy crew: Shoppers will be required to show an ID to prove they are eligible to buy groceries. (Write your own joke.)
How will the subsidized stores keep the shelves stocked and not be sold out of every discounted item six minutes after the truck unloads?
The answer, on page 10: “Operator(s) will be responsible for keeping fast-paced, high-volume N.Y.C. Groceries stores consistently stocked, including by effective in-store replenishment and handling frequent deliveries from wholesalers.”
Yes, but how? The population of New York City is about 8.5 million. How much of other people’s money will the Tinkertoyists need to spend on “Affordability Payment” subsidies to store operators?
The answer: “The Proposal requesting the lowest Affordability Payment to deliver on the Project will receive the highest score.”
There may be a few grocery store operators who have experience with this kind of system. But don’t expect them to come out of retirement in Florida to endure winter in New York. They had enough of that kind of weather in Moscow.
Write Susan@SusanShelley.com and follow him on X @Susan_Shelley