Welcome to Moscow . . . 1965.
It wasn’t a Mamdani Mart, but it was a good indication of what the socialist grocery stores that Comrade Mayor promised to bestow upon New York City will be like. Last week, the cryptocurrency outfit Polymarket opened, for five days only, what it billed as “New York’s First Free Grocery Store.” And so the triumph of socialism was on full display in the Big Apple, right? Well, socialism certainly was, but “triumph” wasn’t exactly the word.
Fox News reported Thursday that “in a busy stretch of restaurants and boutiques in the West Village, hundreds of New Yorkers queued up outside a pop-up shop offering free groceries.”
That’s right: the first glory of socialism that New York’s First Free Grocery Store brought to Gotham was long lines. As one of the last sclerotic rulers of the declining Soviet Union, Konstantin U. Chernenko told the Politburo in 1985: “Comrades, it is not unusual for one type of merchandise or another to disappear from shop counters, goods that are often the easiest to make and the most needed on a daily basis.”
Hence the long lines, which became so much a feature of ordinary life in the workers’ paradise that the New York Times observed: “So common and pervasive are the lines that they have evolved their own etiquette, even their own slang. Shoppers in a busy store can have their place held in one line while they stand in another. Women with small children pass freely to the front. Other privileged people, ranging from disabled war veterans to recipients of the title ‘Hero of Socialist Labor,’ are also allowed to go to the head of the line. Goods, in this world, are ‘handed out,’ not sold, as if to underline that the issue is not one of cost or choice, but simply one of finding the stuff.”
Chernenko also asked the Politburo: “Is there any explanation other than gross blunders for the obvious lack of good-quality footwear, especially children’s shoes?”
Why, sure, Konstantin. One primary explanation is that socialism, by confiscating the worker’s wealth and making it useless for him to try to work harder to get ahead, removes all incentive to do anything more than the minimum that will keep him out of the gulag. A shoemaker in a capitalist society can get rich by providing cheap and comfortable shoes for the masses. In a socialist society, the shoes are even cheaper: they’re free. But there is no reason for the worker to ensure their supply, as there is no reward for him in doing so. And so in the land where shoes are free, going shoeless becomes a fact of life.
And so in New York’s First Free Grocery Store, the demand far outstripped the supply, and the lines were Soviet-length. “The scene was underscored,” said Fox, “by the city’s cost of living woes and anxiety over who would get a yellow ticket granting entry to the small shop before it ‘sold out’ of goods.” Once New York becomes a fully socialist society, those yellow tickets will fetch a good price on the black market, and otherwise will be handed out among the powerful and privileged. After all, everyone is equal, but some are indeed more equal than others.
Fox also noted that “shoppers characterized The Polymarket — which was separate from Mamdani-led efforts to unveil city-owned, subsidized grocery stores in each of the five New York City boroughs — as a learning moment for the mayor as residents cited concerns with security, running out of food and people cutting lines.” That’s why socialist societies need secret police, so that the populace is too scared to cut in line no matter how anxious they are that the market will run out of food.
New York’s First Free Grocery Store hit the wall of reality quite early in the day. One woman recounted: “I literally got here at 9:00 … and basically what they said is that they ran out of tickets.” A man said: “They told me that they ran out of tickets. I couldn’t get no more food.… I couldn’t get access to the store.” A beleaguered security guard shouted just after 9 a.m.: “Let’s go people, let’s go. Go home. Do not linger, do not look, do not watch. Please go home.” But ultimately, they will not. Aside from the gulags, the line is the most distinguishing feature of socialist life.
If Mamdani holds true to his promise and opens his low-cost grocery stores, we will see all this again, and likely with greater intensity and hotter tempers. Socialism is beautiful, comrade!
Nera says
Just the fact that they have so many people willing to take stuff without paying for them but nobody cleaned the streets for free is demonstrating that the place is already third world. You can tell it’s majority demographics are no longer European in origin. It’s just a matter of time now how fast it devolves. USA needs to cut it of and build an Egyptian style wall around it. They can be used as a example of why to never feed or otherwise aid the 3rd world.
Troybeam says
History does and will repeat itself.
Stalin, Marx etc. bread lines, empty shelves and so forth, but hey people when food is scarce go rat hunting because its abundant in New York.
jerry glenn says
A realistic introduction to socialism.
CryHavoc says
While Paul Krugman is a Keynesian idiot, even he admits that Socialism/Communism does not work. People like AOC were either asleep in class or they are a total fraud.. Capitalism is far from perfect, but it has raised more people out of poverty than any other sort of governmental system.
M J says
True socialism/communism doesn’t work but it did put enough fear into the capitalist to allow condition of the working classes to improve a little bit. Another anecdote from UK, the labour voters wanted to earn enough money to own their own property so that they could vote conservative. The corollary is the socialist need poor people to survive so they keep the working class poor.
gravenimage says
The claim that Communism oppressing people in Communist states somehow made things better for people in nations with free trade is very odd.
Then, that claim that only Britons with a certain income level–or who own property–are allowed to vote Conservative is mistaken.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I wonder why Polymarket opened this store for five days only? If it’s such a wonderful experiment, shouldn’t they keep it open indefinitely?
This is what happens when history – particularly world history – is not adequately taught in schools and colleges, aside from being viewed from an anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist lens. One has to experience first hand what Soviet citizens experienced for 70 years. It would be like having to teach people that if one touches a live electric wire, one would get electrocuted by actually getting people electrocuted
Adrian Fegan says
5 finger discount mannnn
Michelle says
This sounds nice in theory, but if it seems too good to be true, it usually is. There’s no free lunch, and programs like this often come with real trade‑offs. There have already been reports of grocers saying they can’t compete under these conditions and considering moves to lower‑cost states. The theory and reality may already be clashing.
gravenimage says
New York’s First Free Grocery Store Opens
…………………………………………………
Uh…yeah…this will work out well…sarc/off
Note that the Polymarket is open from noon to 3 pm, yet has run of out everything by 9 AM. Already sounds pretty Soviet…
Winston 101 says
How is this “free” stunt any different than the usual free type “food banks”?
Put out a “Free” food sign – you’ll draw a crowd.
gravenimage says
Good question, Winston.
OLD GUY says
The great idea of food banks and SNAP to help the true needy has been overrun by the lazy and freeloaders. Take a walk if you dare or drive through a housing project for the needy. You will see a lot of abled body men and women just hanging around waiting for the next handout.
These programs should be for the people who are disabled, aged and unable to work. Put instead they are full of grifters.
ed says
So if you are at work you can’t make it to the “free” food store?
gravenimage says
Probably not…
OLD GUY says
That the idea, another tax on the working class with nothing in return.