One of the most shocking ideas that New York City’s mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is campaigning on is city-owned grocery stores. As a self-proclaimed socialist, Mr. Mamdani is right on-brand with this proposal.
Not only is the thought of having a socialist mayor in the most capitalist city in the world unsettling, having city-owned grocery stores will be the beginning of the end for The City.
This article will cover what city-owned grocery stores are and why people like Zohran Mamdani support them, and the conservative argument against them.
In This Argument…
- What Are City-Owned Grocery Stores and Who Is Zohran Mamdani?
- Why Many People Support City-Owned Grocery Stores
- The Conservative Argument Against City-Owned Grocery Stores
Table of Contents
Why City-Owned Grocery Stores Are Disastrous
Having city-owned grocery stores is a relatively new idea in the U.S., simply because of its capitalist society. Food retail has almost always been private-sector driven, and many people have never thought of the idea until this New York City mayoral race.
In one of the most liberal cities in America, socialism has a shot with Zohran Mamdani, the man running for Mayor in New York City. One of his ideas is to have city-owned grocery stores, which aligns with his self-proclaimed socialism.
Socialism is always nicely packaged. Free stuff! Who doesn’t want that? But this political ideology that Zohran is aligning himself and his ideas with is really a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Let’s examine why:
The Argument for City-Owned Grocery Stores
Over the past few years, people have started to feel the effects of rising food prices, with many lower-income families experiencing it the worst. This has drawn the idea of city-owned grocery stores to the forefront of the conversation, especially with Zohran’s mayoral run.
Zohran’s claims that New Yorkers would benefit from grocery stores that were government owned, naturally focused on “keeping prices low, not making a profit.”
At its surface, this makes sense. If the owners are not looking to make a profit, pay taxes, or pay rent, then they can sell their products for cheaper, and people don’t have to pay as much for food.
It is also claimed that government run grocery stores would benefit impoverished areas of food insecurity or communities of food deserts, where the population size might justify a grocery store but one doesn’t exist.
It’s supported by the reasoning of because grocery store profit margins are so low (1-3%), they probably won’t invest in food deserts or impoverished areas where demand is lower. This is why many support the need for government run grocery stores.
While this might seem convincing at first thought, socialism almost always is until you look under the hood. So let’s examine the conservative argument against government-run grocery stores.
The Conservative Argument AGAINST City-Owned Grocery Stores
While the ability for grocery stores to not have a profit incentive, and can thus offer lower-priced groceries seems like a good idea, the first thing this would accomplish is to drive out competition.
The Problem Economically
Profit margins are already extremely small for grocery stores (1-3%), and competing against a store that does not have to pay hefty fees like rent and have to worry about profits is impossible. The government then monopolizes grocery stores in that area.
The best way to deal with the problem of higher food costs is to is to lower taxes, crime, and other expenses or regulations that eat up a privately owned store’s profit margin.
The Control Problem
Even if this wasn’t a problem, just for the sake of argument, it would still open the public to the most dangerous problem of them all: A state-controlled food supply.
This means that food that the government approves of, and only that food, is allowed to be sold in the grocery store. Instead of promoting competition and allowing for broad food choice, it will cutoff other businesses and limit food choice. But why is this a problem?
Allowing the government to decide what you can and cannot eat or drink, and what is inside these foods, allows the government to have total control over your life. If the government can control what you need (food, water, air, etc.), then it has gained almost totally stripped you of your autonomy.
This may not seem like a problem in America, but take another country like China or North Korea. Would you trust that the country’s government has your best interests at heart when it comes to food? And how easy would it be for them to control you and the rest of the population? This is the heart of the debate.
Would People Really Care?
This is, believe it or not, a very valid question. Those in impoverished areas or those without many resources might not care about this problem. Their first concern is not starving.
That’s why the best argument for city-owned grocery stores is this: Those in impoverished areas and food deserts do not have access to grocery stores or do not have the funds for rising food prices. They probably aren’t as concerned about the government controlling their food as they are with eating.
While this argument may have some good points, it can be very dangerous. Not only will it further force people to rely on the government, it can also undermine small business and further impoverish some people. And it will definitely reduce the incentive for local entrepreneurs to open in the area.
Overall, the almost certain risks of city-owned grocery stores far outweigh the potential benefits, even in the most dire situations. More focus should be on lowering prices like rent and many regulations that cause high grocery prices, instead of slipping into socialism.
The Bottom Line
- While having city-owned grocery stores seems like a good idea to lower prices and offer food to disadvantaged areas, potential benefits outweigh the almost certain risks
- Economically, city-owned grocery stores will push out competitors
- The most dangerous problem is a state-controlled food supply
- Even in the strongest argument for city-owned grocery stores, the focus should be on lowering prices for private grocery stores instead of dipping the toe into socialism
Christ is King