After Almost a Decade, Madison's First Government-Run Grocery Store Is Finally Opening

The Left insists the only solution to so-called "food deserts" is for the government to spend millions of dollars on government-run grocery stores. In New York, Zohran Mamdani is going to open several stores for tens of millions of dollars — just one costs $30 million — and they'll sell things for 30 percent less than retail. Of course, that so-called "basket of goods" won't include things like meat or deli products, and the city faces a massive lawsuit over the scheme.

In addition, the paperwork required to submit a proposal to run one of these stores is a mess that requires information potential retailers couldn't possibly know.

But that doesn't stop the socialists from trying, because the goal is to destroy private businesses. Unfortunately for them, the government-run grocery stores often fail before the private ones do, and there's no reason to believe NYC won't be the same.

And if NYC wants a glimpse into how long it will take to address the "urgent" need of ending food deserts and grocery affordability, they should look at Madison, Wisconsin, where the long-promised city-owned grocery store only took seven years to open up.

Remember when, a year ago, Madison had spent $9 million and six years on a city-owned grocery store that still hadn't opened? https://t.co/luMPUBNDV9
— Patrick McIlheran (@PaddyMacMke) August 14, 2026

Here's more:

The city started planning to get involved in the grocery business at least six years ago amid fears that a Pick ’n Save at 1312 S. Park St. might be razed to make way for a $75 million SSM Health clinic.
The healthcare company never actually submitted any plans for the site, and Dane County already had plenty of grocers. In fact, the county, to this day, has dozens of grocery stores and Walmarts and Targets and Menard’s stores and other smaller places that sell food. Everyone, nowadays, seems to sell food.
But politicians and other officials in Madison — where there is, of course, lots of talk about “food deserts” and affordable access to food as a “fundamental human right” — forged ahead anyway.
City of Madison politicians have thus far spent over $9 million buying and financing improvements on a 24,000-square foot portion of a new multi-use development right next to the Pick ‘n Save that never closed — and that apparently has no plans to close anytime soon.

The store is not only next to a Pick 'n Save, but within a mile of three other stores, including one that just opened this past February.

Here's an update from @BenjaminRothove :

The store's about to open, at last -- across the street from an existing supermarket and within a mile of three others, including one that opened just in February. https://t.co/aV5RbgArec
— Patrick McIlheran (@PaddyMacMke) August 14, 2026

Much like the store in Kansas City, Madison's city-run store will be plagued by rotting food, empty shelves, and theft.

Why are liberals… Socialists, so enchanted with government run grocery stores? Typical overall profit is 3%. They run on volume.

Unless heavily subsidized by (you guessed it) taxpayers, those stores are of no help.
— GBolinski (@GBolinski) August 14, 2026

McIlheran has an answer for that: envy.

I honestly think it's because it's the sort of private commercial enterprise they have to deal with regularly, that's visible to them, and since they resent private enterprise, they focus their resentment on this thing in front of their eyes.
— Patrick McIlheran (@PaddyMacMke) August 14, 2026

Yes. They hate success, capitalism, and free people.

Seems like we have our own "Mandami Market" attempt in Madtown that didn't succeed.

The #CommunistPlaybook is full of policies of failure.#SadWisconsin https://t.co/NG1VhBnSel
— Ghost of BlizzyBuzz 🇺🇸 (@BlizzyBuzzGhost) August 14, 2026

The communist playbook always fails. It's designed to fail.

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