Chicago mayor proposes city owned grocery stores
- Thread starter CouldntBeMeTho
- Start date
How do you think the items should be catered to the community?
Go into the small independent Mexican, Asian or African grocery store and you see the different meats, fish, rice, herbs and spices that are used to make their foods that keep them profitable. I always wonder what the equivalent would be for a small independent American grocery store. American stores seem rely more on huge corporate brands than a selection of basic traditional items
Cakebatter
All Star
At first, I was originally thinking of the local cultural based supermarkets near me, but in reality, Chicago shouldn't focus on cultural offerings but prioritize basics like you mention. So paring down selection would be the main priority. Instead of 8 different brands of Toilet Paper, offer 3 brands. Instead of 6 different brands of canned crushed tomatoes, only stock 2 brands. No greeting cards, toys, or magazines. Focus less on canned/dry goods more on produce and meats. If you notice most supermarkets have delis and offer prepared meals in them. That because its another efficiency mechanism. Have excess chicken near its expiration date, grill it and sell it as prepared meals. You don't have to sell it for a high price, because it was destined for the trash can anyway. The most basic market research will tell you if your community values Plantains over Kimchi or ham hocks over tripe. At the end of the day its a municipal service, not a money making venture.
But what about the Communism !!!
Yea, it will be great until you can't buy at the grocery store because you've made a post online that disagreed with the party in power and your 'social credit score' gets too low.
If corporate grocery stores couldn't work, why do you think a government owned one would? These stores will bleed even worse than the ones that closed down, and they will inevitably get shut down because people will complain about their taxes going up to subsidize these stores.
They way you describe it, it sounds like a great idea. Throw in some diapers and baby formula. Even if the government "loses" money initially, I would bet these kinds of stores would be profitable in the long run
With the right vision, leadership, and implementation, a city could compete with/out-compete private businesses.
The first thing the city would have to do is leverage the thing that no private business could ever do.
Put an actual squad of cops and a holding cell in that mug.
"Shrinkage" would shrink right up.
Coordinating with food stamps, food banks, along with job training in food service (every grocery store has a deli) - and they could really do something.
And they could carry better products, if they really want to address the "food desert" thing.
They carry Jewish Food at my local hood grocery store. I don't know who buys it, but they finally put it on clearance.
Bro you nailed it!
The last time I was in Conn the popo had a mobile joint parked in the hood with a patrol car ready to handle the dumb shyt immediately.
Food store corporations and city politicians could/should get together on a 50-50 funding deal to fund such until behavior changes.
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Piff Perkins
Veteran
Brilliant idea
There is a lot more homecooking in ethnic communities than in American ones. They cook their own stuff out of necessity, and also ability. Americans, but Black Americans in particular, have lost their ability to cook.
The produce section at most grocery stores I've been to are 1/3 - 1/2 the store, where in the typical American spot it's 1/4 or less. The meats are usually on the back wall, and it's better stocked with actual butchers and fish mongers.
For the average American, but especially in the hood, they'd have to go back to cooking the majority of their meals, from scratch.
That would be a good thing. Look at James Brown concerts, or even Soul Train, or even movies from the 80's. Most Black Americans were the proper BMI at every age. And the traditional Black American diet (fatback, pork chops, cornbread) is not necessarily a healthy one, but it's not the heart/liver killer like the one that we eat now. Hot sauce on some Chitlins would be better than the high fructose syrup in Sweet Baby Ray's on some ribs.
A traditional American Store
- A lot of fresh and local produce - so you might not have peaches in Maine, and wouldn't have blue berries in Arizona.
- An actual butcher, not prepackaged, plastic covered, nitrogen filled meat trays from a centralized plant with mostly illegal/migrant labor
- There probably wouldn't be seafood, unless you were by a body of water
- Big bags of staples like flour, rice, potatoes.
I'd love to see Chicago or DC or NYC or Houston go back to that.
But the people would riot.
Where's my Pepsi?
Where's my Doritos?
Watchu mean there ain't 100 different beers available?
CreepyMcCreeperson
Veteran
So you’re saying they are going to give the jobs to the barely English speaking immigrants, over the black residents?y'all falling for the okie doke... this doesnt fix the migrant problem in chicago if anything these stores will give the jobs straight to them while ya black ass will be paying for overpriced foods...
look at most construction sites for your answer
CreepyMcCreeperson
Veteran
You don’t need to speak to do construction. And not for nothing, those Mexicans are out there at 5-6am waiting to get picked up for work, and they work for cheap. My brother in law is a contractor. He said it’s hard to find brehs who know what they’re doing, who will work for that price, and will show up on time.
true statement for many parts of the country!
I'm happy to report from my neck of the woods in south florida that Brehs are working on construction sites. Every one that wants a job has one.
Florida jobless rate stays at 2.7% in August. Miami metro area boasts state's lowest unemployment. Florida's unemployment rate held at 2.7% in August for a second consecutive month.
| Broward County, FL Unemployment Rate is at 3.00%, compared to 2.90% last month and 2.90% last year. |
RickyDiBiase
aka Hash Brown Hands
I’m all for it, of course the sissies gonna finger wag anything
