With rampant crime infesting so many inner cities in North America, is it really any wonder that large retailers are exiting those environs? Responding with a proposal for state-owned food stores is about as far from a solution as you could possibly get, but these days it seems to be par for the course.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he wants to open city-owned grocery stores to serve neighborhoods that have become “food deserts” after four Walmart stores and a Whole Foods closed.
Johnson announced last week that his administration would partner with the nonprofit advocacy group Economic Security Project to put stores in underserved areas of the city — a proposal Republicans called something out of “Soviet-style central planning.“
In Soviet Chicago, food store shoplift you!
From the linked article (my bold)
“Only time will tell if a government-owned grocery store would fill the vacant lot instead, though Johnson’s administration still reportedly needs to conduct a feasibility study before providing a timeline of actually opening these stores.
“In the coming weeks, we will be taking a much closer look at the challenges we face, and how we will address those challenges reasonably and responsibly, and not on the backs of workers and working families,” Johnson said in a press release on Wednesday.”
“Feasibility Study” = $500,000 spread around to pay off political favors and get a bit back in *ahem* campaign donations.
It will turn out that the challenges can best be addressed by hiring cronies and relatives to run the stores, none of which will have a lick of experience in running a grocery store. I will be completely surprised if it turns out any other way.
Personally, I’d recommend the government managers concentrate on just keeping two items in stock until they get the hang of things: beans and rice. I think they might be able to claim some sort of success with those items… eventually. It might take a year or so of whipsawing between pallet loads of those two items and empty shelves. But eventually…
Then they perhaps they might consider branching out into catsup, mustard, and canned corn. When it’s time to add meat, I suggest hot dogs to start.
Of course, all of the stores will be operating at a taxpayer subsidized dead loss, but I think if they stick with the plan they will have a new government bureaucracy that will never go away and be a money pit forever.
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For reference, just imagine what it would be like if the only place you could buy a loaf of bread was at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Yeah. It’s not gonna be pretty.
(Sorry about that. Didn’t mean on purpose to make y’all weep uncontrollably.)
I want to see them do it just to watch it crash and burn.
Of course, the complaint will be that it wasn’t true socialism. “Next time it will be done better.”
Hmmmm… It’s Chicago… The shootouts in the cereal aisle should be entertaining.
“I saw those Cocoa Puffs first!” Blam! Blam! Blam! [return fire] Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam!
Pro tip: Don’t forget to Kevlar up before going grocery shopping in Chicago.
So the residents will just shoplift at the gubmint store. Being a gubmint store catering to a particular clientele in Chicago, it will be declared a huge success even though it will be robbed blind. The taxpayers will foot the bill. Being a gubmit project it will be too big to fail and continue on forever.
Nope. They will armor the f- out of it. The CocoPuffs will be behind glass and you’ll have to get the (drunk) clerk to open it for you. And it will be -ugly-. They may even go to a “pay first and pick up outside” model to keep the clientele from chimping out inside the store.
Because when the GOVERNMENT does it, its not racist.
For comparison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94KPrOpXzto
State run housing, now state run food stores next “guaranteed minimum income” and the proles become entirely dependent on the state for their survival. That’s the Dems goal.
Government run stores – that’s one way to eliminate any lingering feelings of guilt the looters and shoplifters might have had.
Economic Security Project is another tentacle of the Open Society Foundation, and seems to be very profitable for one Adam Ruben
Wait till Canada’ version Nero hears about this, could it work to reduce high food prices?
The government that can’t ensure that baby formula is available on the shelves is going to run the whole food supply in these “Food Deserts”?
This is all about government workers getting in on the grift.
Government = Theft = Black Market = More Theft
Simple solution to this problem. Open a store where you submit your order to the clerk and she goes into the back room (secured) to get your items. You pay before they turn over the grocery bags. Nobody dies.
Hunter Biden will undoubtedly be hired to chair the board directing this enterprise, thereby bringing his extensive logistics expertise to bear. For only $100,000 a month.