{"id":5527,"date":"2026-07-27T23:10:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T23:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5527"},"modified":"2026-07-27T23:10:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T23:10:19","slug":"mamdanis-70m-city-run-grocery-plan-could-buy-more-than-1m-costco-memberships-critics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5527","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani’s $70M city-run grocery plan could buy more than 1M Costco memberships: critics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It\u2019s no bargain.<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s plan to build government-run supermarkets in all five boroughs will cost taxpayers at least $70 million \u2014 enough to buy Costco members for more than 1 million New Yorkers, critics noted.<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani brushes off 9\/11 families\u2019 16K-strong petition to bar him from 25th anniversary ceremonies<\/a><\/p>\n

The social media-focused democratic socialist, who campaigned on government run markets with a promise to drive down cost, announced plans on Monday for the stores to offer select items at a 30% discount despite a host of questions about how the program will work \u2014 and how private businesses will be affected.<\/p>\n

\u201c$70M for slightly discounted produce is ridiculous,\u201d City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) said. \u201cAt this point it would be cheaper to just buy a million Costco memberships. We\u2019d save $5M in taxpayer funds, and the public can buy their items in bulk. Win-win.\u201d<\/p>\n

The estimated price tag just to build the locations \u2014 one in each borough \u2014 would be enough to buy eight basic Costco $65 memberships for every resident of East Harlem, or about an eighth of all residents of the Big Apple.<\/p>\n

The locations of only two of the five markets have been announced and the first one won\u2019t open its doors until 2027 at the earliest.<\/p>\n

The first store is set to open in the South Bronx neighborhood of Hunts Point at The Peninsula \u2014 a former Juvenile Detention Center. A second store is planned in the 9,000-square-foot space at the Marqueta space in East Harlem.<\/p>\n

Councilman Phil Wong (D-Queens) compared the planned stores to something out of communist China.<\/p>\n

Read more A-list New Yorkers named on Mamdani\u2019s potential pied-\u00e0-terre tax list include supporters like Cynthia Nixon, Anna Wintour<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cBack in mainland China where my parents and grandparents fled, these state owned grocery are price controlled but because they are provide controlled the shelves are empty,\u201d Wong said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey only way for you to buy them when people to rush to buy them is to ration ticket,\u201d he added. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t work. It\u2019s simple economics, you have a supply and demand issue. We know it doesn\u2019t work but the only person who doesn\u2019t know it is the mayor and his people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Democratic operative Hank Sheinkopf said the plan was good on paper but is now clashing with reality, with the price tag expected to grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all sounds good until you have to do it. He\u2019s running a great show,\u201d he said. \u201cItss like free busses. It\u2019s not going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

City Hall estimates shoppers will save $90 a month once the stores open \u2014 more than a full year of Costco dues.<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | Suri Cruise legally severs ties with estranged dad Tom<\/a><\/p>\n

City Hall did not respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to build government-run supermarkets in all five boroughs will cost taxpayers at least $70 million — enough to buy Costco members for more than 1 million New Yorkers, critics noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nMamdani's $70M city-run grocery plan could buy more than 1M Costco memberships: critics - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5527\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mamdani's $70M city-run grocery plan could buy more than 1M Costco memberships: critics - 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