Grocery store | Photo by Brittani Burns on Unsplash
Grocery store | Photo by Brittani Burns on Unsplash
Breakthrough Ideas CEO Jeanne Ives is criticizing Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s idea for state-run grocery stores.
“What’s next state-runned clothing stores, gas stations, insurance companies... Chicago has a tax and crime problem and Johnson can’t even pay his water bill, how can he run a grocery store?” Ives said on Facebook.
Johnson is proposing the creation of city-owned grocery stores to address the issue of “food deserts” caused by the closure of four Walmart stores and a Whole Foods.
This initiative has been likened to “Soviet-style central planning” by opponents, according to the New York Post.
Many stores have been closing due to crime. Shoplifting, including that conducted by organized crime gangs, has been noted as a nationwide epidemic.
Major retailers are warning that a failure to aggressively prosecute shoplifters could lead to higher prices and store closures.
“If that’s not corrected over time, prices will be higher, and/or stores will close,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a December interview with CNBC.
WalMart later announced the closure of several Chicagoland stores.
Nine states passing or considering harsher penalties for retail theft offenses, and industry associations are wielding their influence to shape legislation, sparking debates about potential impacts on marginalized groups and overall crime reduction.
More recently Target has decided to shutter stores in some major cities due to organized theft and violence against staff members, CNBC reported.
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