Polymarket Is Opening a Free Grocery Store in New York City
Newly minted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned on the promise of free city-run grocery stores. But randomly, sports betting platforms — or to use the politically correct term, "prediction markets" — have beaten him to it. Randomly, Kalshi gave away groceries for three hours on February 3 at a grocery store in the East Village, presumably to the delight of the neighborhood's NYU and New School students.
Now, Polymarket is one-upping them, announcing a five-day free grocery pop-up, which the company is advertising as the city's first free grocery store. Not only has Polymarket "signed the lease" (what landlord allows a five-day lease?), the company has also donated $1 million to Food Bank for NYC.
While the location of the free store (is that an oxymoron?) is still a secret, it will be open from Thursday, February 12 through Sunday, February 15. Sounds like a nice Valentine's Day date.
After months of planning, we're excited to announce 'The Polymarket' is coming to New York City.
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) February 3, 2026
New York's first free grocery store.
We signed the lease. And we donated $1 million to Food Bank For NYC — an organization that changes how our city responds to hunger. ???? pic.twitter.com/BGMCWUMz8n
"The activation is the result of months of planning — from securing permits and building out a dedicated retail space to coordinating logistics and nonprofit partnerships — and represents a direct investment in the city where Polymarket was founded and scaled," the company said in a press release, via Business Insider.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Responds
As the city's first millennial mayor, Mamdani responded to Polymarket's soft launch by posting (tweeting?) a meme on X (Twitter?). He shared a photo of the classic ClickHole headline: "Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point."
https://t.co/oXWXiS5kMJ pic.twitter.com/i8YCmIaGLW
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 4, 2026
City-run grocery stores were a central tenant of Mamdani's campaign. The stores would be exempt from paying rent and property tax, and they would sell products at wholesale prices, making them significantly cheaper than for-profit grocery chains that dominate the city.
Will it happen soon? According to Polymarket, there's currently only a 14% chance a city-owned grocery store will open by June 30.