Friedberg argues that NYC’s proposed cheap grocery stores will be wildly popular, become a visible success story for socialism, and function as a low-cost political marketing engine for the DSA heading into 2028. He says critics are overfocused on who pays in the near term, because the stores’ real impact will be the social network effect: people traveling from far away for discounts, demand rising, and more stores opening. His arithmetic is that even if each store loses $10 million a year and the chain reaches 10 to 20 stores, that is about $200 million in annual losses, which he says is small relative to New York City’s $125 billion budget. He frames the next 24 months as the key window for this dynamic to play out and fuel the socialist wave in urban centers.
Friedberg says people have it wrong and expects the NYC grocery stores to be wildly popular.
He says the market is too long-sided on who will pay for the grocery stores and on the basic economics of the plan.
He argues near-term funding does not matter much because the cheap stores will create an "incredible success story" for socialism.
He says the stores will help support and fuel a socialist wave in urban centers around the country.
He says a social network effect will kick in as a few stores open and people begin traveling from far away to buy discounted groceries.
He says that higher demand will lead to more and more of these grocery stores opening.
He says the process will play out over the next 24 months, taking it into the 2028 election cycle.
He says people will come in from all over the place to use these stores.
He says if each store loses $10 million a year and there are 10 to 20 stores, total losses would be about $200 million a year for the chain.
He says $200 million a year is small relative to New York City’s $125 billion annual budget.
He says $200 million is less than a quarter of 1% of the city budget.
He says it is cheap to market the DSA platform because the grocery stores themselves become a social marketing element.
He says the stores will be treated as a point of success and become a big part of the fuel for the DSA going into 2028.