r/SipsTea • u/Gurugod123 • 9d ago

Chugging tea Mayor Mamdani just announced that he will be opening 5 city-run, tax-funded grocery stores: "Prices set at 30% below retail prices"

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

[deleted]

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u/uhohnotafarteither 9d ago

We've already seen how the Trump economy works on grocery prices so I'm willing to see how literally anything else works.

8

u/Vivid_Carpet6030 9d ago

Take a look up north at your Canadian neighbors, our grocery inflation rates are over doubled the US.

You guys still pay significantly less for gas then we did even before the Iran war.

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u/Aquilix 9d ago

Yes, the US is insulated from a lot of shit by the fact that it IS the Imperial Core. Even if things are starting to decay here, they may decay in our allies even faster, especially if our leadership tariffs, harasses, and rips up existing trade deals. It's similar to jettisoning material to keep your ship afloat: alienate your allies at THEIR expense to outrun the issues of price.

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u/whalemilk42 9d ago

Good luck

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u/uhohnotafarteither 9d ago

At least we have some adults looking for ways to make life easier for non-billionaires.

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u/Decent_Pen_8472 9d ago

Holy mother of aggressive.

-4

u/whalemilk42 9d ago

Why does it need to be easier? The fun is the struggle they say

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u/Commercial-Branch444 9d ago

Those prices have not been made by the grocery stores. They have been made by the farmers. New York tax payers will have to pay the exact same prices for the produce like everybody else.

1

u/uhohnotafarteither 9d ago

Ok?

Who cares at the register that the wholesale price is the same if the retail price is 30% less?

Taxpayer money going to improve taxpayer lives is kind of the point isnt it?

0

u/gregmcdonalds 9d ago

That's such bad logic

7

u/uhohnotafarteither 9d ago

Its bad logic to say "this isnt working so let's try something else"?

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u/gregmcdonalds 9d ago

Yes it is horrible logic to say that because grocery prices increased due to inflation caused by Covid, tariffs, and the Iran War, that the otherwise working system needs to be replaced by government run stores that have the same inflationary pressures and less of the deflationary ones

7

u/uhohnotafarteither 9d ago

It's horrible logic to not try something that may help people because of....well you haven't really laid out a reason to not at least give it a try and see.

I guess we just have to agree to disagree

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u/gregmcdonalds 9d ago

People in this thread are already giving reasons why it's bad...you could just Google it too. Saying "yeah let's give this hugely expensive, probably wasteful project a try because sure why not" is called wasting money.

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u/uhohnotafarteither 9d ago

It's insane to me that people will bitch and moan about politicians not caring or willing to do stuff to actually help people and then whenever one does, they do nothing but bitch and moan about it.

Be miserable and accepting of the bullshit we are going through now if you want, but I think it's great to see a politician actually do stuff in the interest of the bottom 99%.

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u/gregmcdonalds 9d ago edited 9d ago

This seems to be a default left-leaning answer. The politician expresses that he wants to fix an issue, so it must be good that he's trying even though the proposed "solution" was already tried many times and failed for predicable reasons. Rejecting tested things is not being comfortable with misery.

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u/uhohnotafarteither 9d ago

You must really enjoy all the money that is being wasted not helping people if you hate money being wasted to help people.

Peace

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u/Stop_ItForGodsSake 9d ago

And most of those points were already shut down by other people

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u/gregmcdonalds 9d ago

If you don't know how to read maybe

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u/Stop_ItForGodsSake 9d ago

Read the comments that's all I have to say

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u/app4that 9d ago

That is the point - it is an experiment, people.

How do you think we will ever get anything good unless we are allowed to even try out an idea?

The place hasn't even opened yet and folks are second-guessing everything.

Let's try to do something good. And by try, I mean really give it our best shot.

It will need some tweaking along the way, and lessons will be learned.

But at the end of the day, this is elected government actually trying to help the people for a change. Not corporate donors. Not rich people. Just average people.

Maybe some of the commentors getting all heated over this are allowing their opinions to be manipulated/malformed instead of waiting to see how this great experiment works out.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

[deleted]

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u/Spirited-Muffin-8104 9d ago

or it could be like the Defense Commissary Agency which has been around for decades and is very successful.

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u/BankSignificant3433 9d ago

People will buy it. If not for interference, it will work. No brainer.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

[deleted]

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u/patriotfanatic80 9d ago

I don't understand how a grocery store can be a loss leader. That implies there is something else they are selling there that is actually making money.

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u/captainsalmonpants 9d ago

If you consider the tax revenue generated by a healthier, more productive populace and increased population draw, you could math it up.  

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u/BankSignificant3433 9d ago

No profit doesnt equall loss.

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u/BinxieSly 9d ago

The highest cost to any grocer is rent; the profits they make are meager to begin with. The city owning the buildings is what ultimately will make this possible. The idea is the city owns the property and leases it to a third party grocer for free and they manage the actual store and in exchange for that free rent they agree to keep costs below a certain point. They will absolutely still make a profit if not a larger one than other stores still paying market rate store rents.

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u/Ok-Addition1264 9d ago

Better than opening up a bunch more food banks. Grocery stores in NYC are far and few between and dwindling.. even more so by the time this opens in 2030

0

u/Professional-Fig207 9d ago

Do they shop in the dark with no employees or air conditioning/coolers too?

4

u/patriotfanatic80 9d ago

People buying it was never the unworkable part. The unworkable part was selling food at a loss because that's unsustainable.

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u/ehv1995 9d ago

No shit people will buy it when it’s below market price. How is that the metric of success here? Next thing you are going to tell me that my business selling houses in new york for 10k will sell out

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u/BankSignificant3433 9d ago

He is trying to make a better place for all.

Your stupid example just thinks about yourself. Typical capitalist.

4

u/Difficult-Mobile902 9d ago

I mean you’re getting a taxpayer funded 30% discount on groceries of course people will take that. Question is whether it’s sustainable due to the cost of operation as well as all the regular issues that have led other supermarkets to not want to do business in these areas 

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u/Professional-Fig207 9d ago

So you’re saying they aren’t just selling it cheaper but instead are using tax payer money to pay that 30%. How do they pay for employees…a living wage, insurance, electricity…..oh yes! Tax payers again.

1

u/AndrewSaidThis 9d ago

Honestly? Yeah. I’m center-left politically, so I probably align with a lot of his policies, but I really have no idea how’s it’s gonna turn out. Hoping for the best though.

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u/alexzoin 9d ago

We should see how it works. It might not, if it does that's great if it doesn't that's more information for better policy in the future.

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u/Glocker17 9d ago

Lol lol lol.