https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!My20!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F064a66ab-5bb1-4b4b-bb62-2826d6547443_736x515.jpeg ChatGPT New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani recently unveiled his plan to build a massive government-run grocery store in Manhattan. Rooted in the failed tenets of communism, the taxpayer-funded supermarket will cost $30 million and take three years to build. “Most self-respecting experts think it’s a terrible idea—for obvious reasons,” our Andrew Stiles writes. Here’s everything you need to know: Can the city afford it? Not really. Mamdani has until July 1 to resolve a $5.4 billion deficit. Where are they building it? Not in Midtown Manhattan, obviously. The first city-run supermarket will be located on what is now an empty lot in East Harlem at 116th Street and Park Avenue. The New York Times described the neighborhood as a “diverse community with high poverty rates.” Is that a good location for a government supermarket? Not really. One of Mamdani’s stated aims was to combat “food deserts” where grocery options are limited. There are five grocery stores within a two-block radius of the proposed building site, though they will struggle to compete with a taxpayer-subsidized venture that is immune to rising property tax rates. It will also compete with local vendors at the nearby La Marqueta complex. Shouldn’t they just build a Costco instead? Probably, but there is already a Costco several blocks away, or 0.7 miles. Google Maps says it’s a 15-minute walk, but a normal person could probably make it there in 10 minutes, while a freak such as Bill de Blasio could do it in 5 minutes. https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oPYa!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdd5f1fb7-5d26-48ee-af9a-6d79f565b647_736x484.jpeg READ MORE: The People’s Boondoggle: Mamdani’s $30 Million Taxpayer-Funded Supermarket, by the Numbers