Mamdani's $70M Grocery Plan Sparks Debate: Is It Worth the Cost?

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.

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 — and how private businesses will be affected.

“$70M for slightly discounted produce is ridiculous,” City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) said. “At this point it would be cheaper to just buy a million Costco memberships. We’d save $5M in taxpayer funds, and the public can buy their items in bulk. Win-win.”