New York's $70 Million Grocery Experiment Is Already Doomed

In April 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan that would make Soviet central planners blush with nostalgia. The city will spend $70 million in taxpayer funds to open five government-owned grocery stores, starting with East Harlem’s La Marqueta.

For a mayor who ran on an explicitly socialist platform, this represents the fulfillment of a campaign promise. 

For taxpayers and students of economic history, it represents a cautionary tale waiting to be wri...