Public grocery stores a bad fix

A May 10 “Other Views” column suggests having publicly owned (translation: taxpayer funded, government run) grocery stores in food deserts, such as the 63rd and Halsted location where Whole Foods is soon to end operations.

That’s a constructive thought, but a better one would be to seek a candidate from among existing grocers who already know the business (which is famous for its thin profit margins, even when well-run and patronized, and serving a prosperous customer base) and would hit the ground running.

Government-run entities nearly always turn out to be sluggish, inefficient, bureaucratic, high-cost operations. Not to mention including a fraught and painful learning curve.

Not all food chains can succeed in a lowincome area. But two that seem able are

Food 4 Less and Aldi.

A Food 4 Less has been in business for years at 71st and Ashland in Englewood, long enough to prove they can succeed under such circumstances. Aldi might also make a good fit. (There is an Aldi’s near 63rd and Wallace now.) Is anybody at City Hall pursuing these possibilities?

Underwriting the deal with tax dollars may not be necessary except possibly as a sweetener, such as a tax holiday for a set time period.

That would be less of a negotiating concession than the taxpayer giveaways that Rahm Emanuel negotiated in the case of Whole Foods.

Ted Z. Manuel, Hyde Park