Mamdani plans 30% discounts at city-owned groceries — but it comes with basket of questions

The basket of goods comes with a basket of questions.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan to offer 30% discounts on a “core basket of goods” at the forthcoming city-owned grocery stories — but there are questions about how the sale will work and how much the subsidies will cost taxpayers.

Mamdani said a rotating list of items will be put up at “below typical retail prices,” with items including fresh produce, meat and seafood, plus staples like milk, cheese and bread.

“No exceptions, no gimmicks,” Mamdani vowed at a news conference at a Brooklyn food pantry.

City Hall projects the markdown will save shoppers an average of $90 a month or $1,000 a year, roughly around 15% off their bill.

Individual prices can fluctuate under the framework, only requiring an “average discount of 30% relative to the retail price” for the suite of household staples.

The five stores will cost Big Apple taxpayers $70 million to build, according to early estimates and City Hall couldn’t say what subsidizing the discounts will cost taxpayers.

The city recently put out a request for proposals to private grocery chains to run the stores, asking potential bidders to estimate the figure themselves through an annual “Affordability Payment” to cover the losses from selling below retail prices.

Bids are due Oct. 16, and an official operator won’t be selected until spring 2027.

Nearly $40 million has been earmarked for the first two selected locations while the remaining three still don’t have confirmed sites.

The first store isn’t slated to open until 2027 in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx and East Harlem’s La Marqueta will follow in 2029. 

When doors do open, shoppers won’t be able to find hot food or other common bodega staples like alcohol, cigarettes or lottery tickets.

“It may not have all the items, but it’s going to be like a typical grocery store,” Pak said.

Asked how the city will stop shoppers from clearing out 30%-off meat and produce to resell it, Mamdani said the program isn’t meant for people “to make a quick buck through reselling.”

Economic Development Corporation interim chief Jeanny Pak said the city was weighing something “library-card-esque” to manage who’s buying.

RFP documents details that operators are required to run a free membership card program that tracks sales and blocks “excessive bulk purchases.”

City Hall and the EDC did not immediately respond to request for comment.