Due to a huge budget deficit, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's promise of free bus service in the city won't come to fruition this year. Next year will be a big year, though. Mamdani gave his 100-day address and announced that the first of five planned city-owned and operated grocery stores will be up and running in East Harlem next year, on city-owned land, at a cost of merely $30 million. But what the store loses per sale, they'll make up in volume, or something.
The math doesn't quite add up, as Fox News reports. The budget for all five stores is only $70 million. Maybe they get cheaper to build when you buy in bulk.
🚨 NEW: Zohran Mamdani's first "FREE" grocery store is already BURNING UP the budget, and it's going to take a YEAR to open
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 13, 2026
SHOCKER! 🤣
Mamdani budgeted $70 million for FIVE groceries stores, but this first grocery store ALONE will cost $30 MILLION
Communism doesn't work! pic.twitter.com/vjKe5qUkMA
Here's how he explained how communism would work during his campaign:
Muslim Democrat NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is planning to open the first of his "Free" city-owned grocery stores in East Harlem next year.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 13, 2026
The communist takeover of NYC is in full swing pic.twitter.com/yeCH6lW5oY
Looted clean in 30 minutes.
— tac0ghost 👻🇺🇲👻 (@tacooghost) April 13, 2026
Soviet state run grocery store.🙄 pic.twitter.com/tVnTumk7j7
— MAGA Oldguy_54 (@oldestguy72) April 13, 2026
This guy is a delusional loser hack. He's a good actor and the losers who voted for him should be ashamed.
— Robert Anthony (@RobertAnthony_T) April 13, 2026
It's going to be fun watching this little experiment implode, the city is subsidizing this venture, and we all know the government can't effectively manage anything.
— Da Phuc (@RealDaPhuc) April 13, 2026
Zero chance this works. You will get the worst products imaginable because big distributors won’t take a monetary hit for it.
— PoliticalPilot (@PoliticalPilot2) April 13, 2026
New Yorkers can ride free buses to those city-owned grocery stores.
— Jerry Grubb 🇺🇸 (@gkgrubb) April 13, 2026
Oh, wait a minute. 🤣
What’s the point? Many go in the stores and blatantly steal their groceries.
— GrassrootsGirl (@SusanDuck113) April 13, 2026
That's what happened when Kansas City tried this experiment.
All voters had to do was look at Venezuela and Cuba to see exactly how badly this doesn’t work.
— Kate (@kate_p45) April 13, 2026
It can’t possibly cost $30 million to open one store. The public needs to know where all that money is going.
— We are Right (@voterstampede) April 13, 2026
They'll end up selling it to a private chain for 5 million.
— EricDawelder (@EricDawelder) April 13, 2026
It will include a high speed rail to get you from the vegetables to the register. It will be the same length as existing California high speed rail. pic.twitter.com/Pp0HGpPcJN
— Dad Jokes Animals (@DadJokesAnimals) April 13, 2026
That store will never open.
— PoleyThePolarBear (@PoleyBear1350) April 13, 2026
They'll announce it's almost ready but they need more funding. Maybe even create a new tax for it.
But that thing will never open.
If it does it will have about 5-10 items in it.
It's only April. Why is it going to take until next year to build a grocery store with a $30 million budget?
This is sure to be a success coming from Mamdani, who's never managed anything or run a business.
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