On Monday, owners and employees of bodegas raised concerns about Democratic mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani’s initiative to establish city-run grocery stores.
Radhams Rodriguez, president of United Bodegas in the United States, remarked at a press conference outside a Gristedes supermarket, “We can’t support competing with city-operated businesses.”
At 62, Rodriguez, who manages four bodegas in the Bronx, pointed out that his stores—and others like them—would struggle to match the prices of these city-run entities, especially since they wouldn’t have to pay rent or property taxes under Mamdani’s proposal.
Rodriguez expressed a stark scenario: “If they sell an egg for a dollar, and ours costs four, that’ll destroy us,” he said.
Also weighing in was Miguel Valerio, a 51-year-old bodega owner from the Bronx, who voiced worries about his twelve employees, questioning whether government workers could effectively run a business like his.
Valerio shared his daily routine, saying, “I wake up at 5 a.m. and go to bed by 11 p.m. The government workers don’t have that sort of commitment.” He added, “My priority is the people who work for me.”
The pilot program is part of Mamdani’s initiative for affordable food options, aiming to offer lower prices on essentials.
However, business owners argue that government-operated stores could dramatically undercut privately owned bodegas that do handle taxes and housing costs, thus siphoning away customers.
During a podcast, Mamdani characterized the endeavor as a $60 million pilot project, proposing one city-owned store in each borough—five in total. “If this doesn’t work at the pilot level, then it shouldn’t expand,” he insisted on the “Plain English” podcast with Derek Thompson.
Nevertheless, bodega owners have labeled the proposal a flawed, Soviet-era concept, suggesting it pits the government against small businesses.
Rafael Garcia, who owns the LA Economic Meat Choice Store in the Bronx, said, “This is going to create a big problem. You can’t have us pay taxes and then compete against us.” He noted that many of his customers rely on government assistance, which might push them toward city-run grocery stores with lower prices.
Francisco Marte, chairman of the Bodega and Business Association, echoed these sentiments, stating, “Socialism hasn’t succeeded anywhere. Even China has shifted to capitalism.”
Gristedes’ owner John Catsimatidis also spoke against the initiative, appearing at events around the city. Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson had considered similar plans but decided to halt them after community feedback suggested other routes, like a public market, might be more suitable.
Past experiments with government-owned grocery stores in small rural towns often ended unsuccessfully. For example, a town-owned grocery in Baldwin, Florida, opened in 2019 but shut down by March. Similarly, a municipal store in Erie, Kansas, struggled to attract customers and ultimately had to lease the building to a private operator.
In contrast, a small Kansas town called St. Paul bought its grocery store in 2013 after losing its last supermarket, and that establishment has been considered a success story by Mamdani.
During a podcast, Mamdani defended his plans, referencing the rising costs of basic goods since the COVID-19 pandemic. “New Yorkers keep saying there’s sticker shock, especially for eggs, milk, and bread,” he commented.
As Mamdani campaigns against Mayor Eric Adams and other candidates in the upcoming election, he describes his proposal as a reasonable experiment aimed at addressing food deserts that disproportionately impact low-income communities.
The estimated cost of the program falls below the city’s current spending on supermarket partnerships for food expansion.
Mamdani also noted that the city’s pandemic responses showcased its ability to manage logistical initiatives, such as quick setups for testing and vaccinations, potentially reflecting on the grocery store initiative’s viability.
In closing, he pointedly remarked on the accessibility challenges that many New Yorkers face, responding to Catsimatidis’ critique: “It’s interesting to hear comments from him, considering the number of New Yorkers who can’t even shop at his stores.”
