because socialism is an inefficient failure. it only "works" until you run out of rich people to rob to pay for it. we have EBT in NYC- cash grants to the poor to buy groceries work just fine
socialism is always a bad idea for any market good for a variety of reasons. but you asked why this grocery scam is bad idea and the waste/stupidity behind it is the worst
Date: July 27th, 2026 1:58 PM Author: Richard Ames
The funny thing is that I think a lot of this shit doesn't even make a difference w.r.t. votes. Voting is basically just a population headcount now and a growing % of the population of NYC is incapable of understanding conditionals or second order thinking. Maybe it's necessary for Mamdani to hold off any potential adversaries to his left from within the DSA.
My bigger sense is that this probably just makes DSA activist types feel like they're "doing something" so they can avoid self-reflection and any requisite steps towards improving their own stead (of which step #1 would be leaving NYC for somewhere else and learning an actual skill).
Date: July 27th, 2026 1:59 PM Author: Richard Ames
I actually agree with what you are saying. I imagine you would agree that such a pathway will lead to meaningfully reduced choice for these consumers. Surely everyone could eat free if the food is just rice and beans.
Date: July 27th, 2026 2:02 PM Author: Cowardly histrionic range
Profit margins for grocery stores are around 2%. These stores will operate at a loss. To the extent they dont, it is only because they are exempt from tqxes and use ciry owned property....but the government is losing tax and rental revenue so it is still a loss.
Date: July 27th, 2026 2:06 PM Author: Cowardly histrionic range
Police coverage is not an excludable rivalrous good. Selling excludable rivalrous (finite) goods at a loss leads to shortages via waste and underproduction. This is why non-excludable non-rivalrous goods are called "public goods"
Date: July 27th, 2026 2:04 PM Author: Cowardly histrionic range
Problem: greedy corporations exist that make profit from selling food, which is a Human Right. Nobody should profit from a Human Right
Solution: sell at a loss using public subsidy, putting grocery stores out of business and bringing more of the economy under the wings of the public sector.
Date: July 27th, 2026 2:24 PM Author: doobsian black woman
the stores will always be low on food
selling at a loss is obviously a terrible strategy, so when they run low on stuff they will have to wait a week to restock to slow down how much they lose
shrinkage will be an issue; obviously the post and daily news will be chomping at the bit to see how they deal with it
staffing will also be lol. presumptively they will be paying people 30 dollars and hour or whatever and not be able to really fire anyone, although again if they don't have much food to sell it's not like they need to do much "work"
either that or it will be a YUGE success its 50/50
Date: July 27th, 2026 2:48 PM Author: big-titted fat ankles set
Governments shouldn't try to do stuff that tons of private businesses already do. If poors are too poor to buy food, we should give em some as we already do.
Date: July 27th, 2026 2:50 PM Author: orchid jew theatre
How can they go out of business if Mamdani's stores have no food to sell? Surely some folks will opt to shop at Whole Foods instead of waiting in line for bread
Date: July 27th, 2026 2:56 PM Author: Cowardly histrionic range
Even a 5% drop in revenue will drive some groceries out of busines given the razor thin profit margins.
It's a sliding scale. The more money they sink into the effort, the more business they'll take from the stores, and the more they'll further the goal of driving the groceries out of business. The less money they sink into it, the quicker the shelves will go bare and the less effective theyll be at the ideological goal. But the losses will be more scandalous and less sustainable. Worth watching how they navigate this.
Date: July 27th, 2026 5:40 PM Author: Cowardly histrionic range
The profit is 1%-2% of the cost you drooling imbecile. Except at Whole Foods and similar luxury stores where it is a whopping 4.5%. Wow really grabbing you by the balls! Big savings!!
Date: July 27th, 2026 3:14 PM Author: Vigorous psychic
to be fur, we shouldnt allow a single digit amount of companies control our food, so "cons" do the actual fucking there. but ya keep complaining about some retarded shitlib answer to a problem cons encourage.
Date: July 28th, 2026 9:06 AM Author: Vigorous psychic
wow how much of the soda drink market is controlled by pepsi and coke? how much of the cereal market is controlled by General mills and kellogs, etc etc. Killyourself ur freak
Date: July 27th, 2026 7:01 PM Author: Vigorous psychic
Kroger's net profit margin is approximately 0.71% over the trailing twelve months.
retard. its almost as if u need the costs of running a business to run a business. Just like costco charges a roughly 10-15% margin on its good, but breaks even on its stores and makes all of its profit off the membership fee.
Date: July 27th, 2026 7:53 PM Author: Cowardly histrionic range
Their overhead will be even higher because it will all be union labor paid prevailing wage, with 50% of contractors being minority or women owned enterprises, and everything ethically sourced and fair trade.
Date: July 27th, 2026 6:06 PM Author: orchid jew theatre
Here's how it will work. Once a month, our five city-run grocery stores will set prices for this core set of goods at 30% below typical retail prices. No exceptions, no gimmicks. The savings will last for the entire month. That means no weekly fluctuations or sticker shock at the checkout line—not for our seniors living on fixed incomes, nor for the parents who rely on a regular supply of apple slices to keep toddler tantrums at bay.
Russia literally gave up on communism because Boris Yeltsin came to America and saw the grocery stores under capitalism and realized communism didn't work.
Date: July 28th, 2026 4:40 PM Author: Sapphire Offensive Boltzmann
It takes Whole Foods like six months to open a Daily Shop, and these are about the same size. Why didn't they just find abandoned stores to renovate instead of building new stores?
Date: July 28th, 2026 4:47 PM Author: Sapphire Offensive Boltzmann
Also really lame that NYC is not actually going to run the stores, they're hiring a private-sector contractor. Why? I thought the government was better at everything?