Fact Check: Are 'special marks' on hand or forehead must to shop at Mamdani's grocery stores?
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Amid the debate surrounding the need for ID to shop at New York City’s new grocery stores, a rumor began circulating online claiming that special marks on the hand and forehead are required to shop at Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s NYC stores. The claim has triggered mockery and criticism, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: Zohran Mamdani's grocery stores require special marks on the body
Based on the viral rumor, NYC’s government-run grocery stores have announced that everyone is allowed to buy groceries from their stores as long as they have special marks on their hand or forehead.
The claim emerged after a viral Facebook post showing a photo of Mamdani and a woman with ‘666’ on her forehead at a grocery store went viral.
The image came with an overlay text stating, “Government-run stores to allow anyone to buy groceries as long as they have a special mark on hand or forehead."
The post was accompanied by a caption stating, “We strongly urge everyone to participate."
The claim spread after Tesla CEO Elon Musk amplified it, prompting many to believe it.
Fact Check: The claim was intended as satire
The claim, however, is false, as there is no credible evidence to prove that shoppers need to have special marks on their body to shop at NYC’s government-run grocery stores.
Searches on Google, Yahoo, and Bing for the claim yielded no relevant results, which, if true, would have been widely reported by prominent news media such as Reuters, Associated Press, and Fox News.
The search on Google revealed that the claim originated from an X account called ‘The Babylon Bee,’ which describes itself in the bio as, “The Babylon Bee is the world's best satire site, totally inerrant in all its truth claims. We write satire about Christian stuff, political stuff, and everyday life.”
Zohran Mamdani's grocery stores promise lower prices
According to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the prices at Mamdani’s new grocery stores would be about 30% lower for a basket of daily essentials.
Fresh produce like meat, seafood, dairy products, pantry staples, and other refrigerated items are included in the discounted basket.
Authorities asserted that the lower prices will be available to all shoppers, regardless of their economic status, and will stay the same without changing every week.
According to the city officials, the initiative is estimated to reduce the average New Yorker's grocery bill by about 15%, saving households around $90 a month, or roughly $1,000 a year.
