New York City Mayor Mamdani wants five city owned grocery stores selling staples 30% below cost, at $70 million to build and $100 million a year to run. Cato&#x27;s Rikki Schlott talks with Don Boudreaux about why private supermarkets survive on 2% profit margins, and what actually happens when government tries to run a store. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can Government Run a Grocery Store?

The Cato Weekly Podcast

Starting September 8th, we'll launch our new Cato Weekly Podcast with video. Here's a little preview. It's increasingly more common for Americans and among some in the Democratic Party to wear the Democratic Socialist badge with honor. Self-described Democratic Socialists. Why is socialism cool again, Bernie? I think the young people are looking out there and they're saying, why are we not doing better for ordinary Americans than we are?

Democratic Socialism is the value that in a modern, moral and wealthy society, no person in America should be too poor to live. I was elected as a Democratic Socialist and I will govern as a Democratic Socialist. On an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, he assured that America, like other Western democracies, is already quasi-socialist. The Democratic Socialists talk about socialism like we don't already have a lot.

Social Security, unemployment, Medicare, nutritional assistance, Medicaid, Obamacare, disability, housing subsidies. Again, not against it. Just the same question. How can you be soaking the rich and failing the poor so badly? But that is not socialism. And confusing with socialism is not just wrong, it's dangerous. I'm Paul Meany. See you September 8th on the new Cato Weekly Podcast.

When it's time to shop for groceries, Americans have lots of options. Wegmans, Kroger, Aldi, Albertsons, Trader Joe's, Public, Safeway, Whole Foods, just to name a few. These are a lot of choices, but now New Yorkers are about to have another option, the government. Mayor Zilran Mamdani is looking to open five city-owned grocery stores across New York City's boroughs with the goal of selling everyday groceries at roughly 30% below market rate.

Can Government Run a Grocery Store?

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

Can Government Run a Grocery Store?

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.