{"id":5539,"date":"2026-07-28T06:07:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T06:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5539"},"modified":"2026-07-28T06:07:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T06:07:49","slug":"mamdani-plans-30-discounts-at-city-owned-groceries-but-it-comes-with-basket-of-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5539","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani plans 30% discounts at city-owned groceries — but it comes with basket of questions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The basket of goods comes with a basket of questions.<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is pitching a vague discount of 30% \u201cbelow typical retail prices\u201d on a \u201ccore basket of goods\u201d at his promised city-owned grocery stores \u2014 but New Yorkers aren\u2019t buying it.<\/p>\n

Read more Inside the terrifying new \u2018cult\u2019 led by LA-based \u2018apostle\u2019 as droves of devoted followers shake uncontrollably in her presence<\/a><\/p>\n

Folks interviewed by The Post have a list of questions about how the discount would work, what few items they\u2019d have to choose from, and how much it would cost taxpayers to subsidize the lefty mayor\u2019s scheme.<\/p>\n

\u201cF\u2013k that,\u201d said Deborah, a 53-year-old lifelong Harlem resident. \u201cWe\u2019re all paying for that. So, all the s\u2013t we buy at the bodegas and these little local stores \u2014 iced coffee, bags of ice, fruit drinks \u2014 that\u2019s never going to be cheaper than in that supermarket.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s wasting our f\u2013king time and money,\u201d she said. \u201cAgain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani announced Monday that a\u00a0fixed list of items will be put up at \u201cbelow typical retail prices,\u201d with items including fresh produce, meat and seafood, plus staples like milk, cheese and bread.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo exceptions, no gimmicks,\u201d Mamdani vowed at a news conference at The Campaign Against Hunger in East New York.<\/p>\n

City Hall projects the markdown will save shoppers an average of $90 a month or $1,000 a year, roughly around 15% off their bill.<\/p>\n

Individual\u00a0prices can fluctuate under the monthly framework, only requiring an \u201caverage discount of 30% relative to the retail price\u201d across each category of household staples, according to planning documents. <\/p>\n

The five stores\u00a0\u2014 one in each borough \u2014\u00a0will cost Big Apple taxpayers $70 million to build, according to early estimates and City Hall couldn\u2019t say what subsidizing the discounts will cost taxpayers.<\/p>\n

The Economic Development Corporation \u201chas begun its modelling and will refine estimates based on responses to the Operator RFP,\u201d a mayoral spokesperson told The Post.<\/p>\n

The city recently put out a request for proposals to private grocery chains to run the stores, asking potential bidders to estimate the figure themselves through an annual \u201cAffordability Payment\u201d to cover the losses from selling below retail prices.<\/p>\n

However, the bids aren\u2019t due until Oct. 16,\u00a0and an official operator won\u2019t be selected until spring 2027.<\/p>\n

Nearly $40 million has been earmarked for the first two selected locations while the remaining three still don\u2019t have confirmed sites.<\/p>\n

Either way, the first store isn\u2019t slated to open until at least late 2027 in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx, with the second, East Harlem\u2019s La Marqueta, not scheduled to open until 2029.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When doors do open, shoppers won\u2019t be able to find hot food or other common bodega staples like alcohol, cigarettes or lottery tickets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may not have all the items, but it\u2019s going to be like a typical grocery store,\u201d\u00a0Economic Development Corporation interim chief Jeanny Pak told reporters Monday.<\/p>\n

Read more NYC could get soaked by more than 4 inches of rain from \u2018unusually powerful\u2019 summer storm<\/a><\/p>\n

Asked how the city will stop shoppers from clearing out 30%-off meat and produce to resell it, Mamdani said the program isn\u2019t meant for people \u201cto make a quick buck through reselling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pak said\u00a0the city was weighing something \u201clibrary-card-esque\u201d to manage who\u2019s buying.<\/p>\n

For everyday New Yorkers, it sounds like pie in the sky.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s stupid,\u201d said 55-year-old city worker Lelina, a West Harlem resident. \u201cYou get lower prices when you just shop around. You can go to Costco or BJ\u2019s, you know? You can buy in bulk and beat 30%.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the scheme is also vague about what items would actually be available at the cheaper rate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of bread?\u201d Lelina added. \u201cI\u2019m not letting them choose what kind of bread I want. I\u2019m not taking anything other than what I want. I won\u2019t eat mayonnaise unless it\u2019s Hellmann\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juan Carlos Santiago, a Cuban immigrant from the neighborhood, said the gambit sounds suspiciously similar to conditions on the communist island he fled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCost less sounds very good,\u201d Santiago said.\u00a0\u201cThey did this where I come from. I grew up with this.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, it all costs more, and you get less,\u201d he said. Thank God, here you can go to another store. Thank God!\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, small store owners also worry that the city-subsidized discounts will take a bite out of their business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear every day that my members\u2019 rent is going up,\u201d Radhames Rodriguez, president of United Bodegas of America, told The Post Monday. \u201cSometimes insurance companies don\u2019t want to insure your stores.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe are getting killed by Con Edison,\u201d he added. \u201cA little store is paying $3,000 to $6,000 a month \u2026 for a store that\u2019s 1,500 to 2,500 squrae feet!\u201d<\/p>\n

RFP documents\u00a0detail that\u00a0operators are required to run a free membership card program that tracks sales and blocks \u201cexcessive bulk purchases.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not looking to compete with bodegas or grocery stores when it comes to their ability to survive,\u201d Mamdani said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani\u2019s \u2018enemies of the people\u2019 pied-\u00e0-terre tax list is no joke<\/a><\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Lisa Fickenscher<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan to offer 30% discounts on a “core basket of goods” at the forthcoming city-owned grocery stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nMamdani plans 30% discounts at city-owned groceries - but it comes with basket of questions - 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=5539\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mamdani plans 30% discounts at city-owned groceries - 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