Original | Odaily Planet Daily (@OdailyChina)
Author | jk
On-site Interview | Connie
On February 12, local time in the United States, the cryptocurrency prediction market platform Polymarket held a charity event in downtown Manhattan, New York City, opening a free grocery store named "The Polymarket," the first entirely free grocery store in New York City. From fresh produce to daily necessities, all items are provided for free, and the event will last until February 16.
Connie, Odaily Planet Daily's correspondent in New York, visited the store on the opening day, experienced the store environment, and interviewed the staff and many New York citizens waiting in line. Let’s take a look at the scene on the first day of Polymarket's first "offline physical store."
Opened at 2 PM, with people lining up since 6 AM, the long queue wrapped around the entire block
The event was originally scheduled to open at 10 AM, but due to delays in goods, the opening time was pushed back to 2 PM. Nevertheless, New Yorkers arrived early to line up. On-site staff revealed that when he arrived at 7 AM, the first three people in line had already been waiting there.
The woman at the front of the line is named Tori. She told on-site reporter Connie that she had been standing there since 6 AM, despite it being winter.
“We got here at 6 AM," Tori Hall said, "I thought it would open at 10 AM, now we have to wait until 2 PM. But free is free, times are tough these days.” Because the line was so long, by 11 AM, the line had extended four blocks away. Polymarket staff intermittently provided free coffee to those waiting.
The waiting crowd has reached four blocks away
It’s reported that when the on-site reporter left, due to the overwhelming number of people in line, the New York Police Department had sent personnel to inquire about the situation.
In fact, most people waiting in line did not know what Polymarket is
Interestingly, the vast majority of citizens coming to collect free groceries had no idea what Polymarket was. Ryan from Brooklyn learned about the event from the Instagram account “New York City for Free,” and when asked if he had heard of prediction markets, he admitted: “Never heard of it. What is Polymarket?” After learning that it was a prediction market platform, he stated, "Oh, I think I’ve heard of it, it's some kind of prediction website." (At least this time they should have left a brand impression.)
According to observations from the on-site reporter, there were a large number of Chinese people in the waiting crowd, who learned about the event through WeChat groups. “They had no idea what a prediction market was and did not know Polymarket,” Connie discovered after interviewing, “When I asked them if they knew what Polymarket was, they said 'it's just supermarket!' Some even thought this was the mayor of New York City’s proposal to give free food to everyone.”
Polymarket branded tote bag
Carefully Planned Details and Million-Dollar Donation
Every detail of this temporary grocery store was meticulously designed. According to Polymarket staff, the blue price tags in the store read “Milk, eggs, produce priced by the people,” with onion stickers printed with Polymarket's charts, and even the location of the store was thoughtfully chosen.
“Milk, eggs, produce priced by the people”
This staff member had previously worked for the NFL and MrBeast, and he revealed, “CEO Shayne Coplan and the CMO are both kids who grew up in New York public schools. This is their company's first charity event since its establishment; they wanted to give back to the city that raised the company.” On that day, the CEO was also present.
The entire store was set up from scratch in just two days, with a wide array of products: fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, pasta, tomato sauce, olive oil, peanut butter, canned goods, snacks, beverages, as well as daily necessities like tissues. Notably, due to Valentine’s Day approaching, the store also featured a free flower section.
Customers entering the store receive a tote bag, and market staff act as personal shopping assistants to help them pick out the items they need. The first 300 people in line are guaranteed to receive free groceries.
Staff members told Odaily that each customer could fill the shopping bags they were given, taking as much as they needed within that range, preferably items they would really use.
The results of a certain customer
In addition to the physical grocery store, Polymarket also donated $1 million to the New York City Food Bank (Food Bank For New York City). According to staff, this donation equals 3 million meals and will help address food shortages in all five boroughs of New York. However, when asked about the total cost of the event, the staff declined to disclose.
A "Coincidence" with the Mayor’s Proposal
Polymarket’s move is quite timely: the new mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, promised during his campaign to open at least one government-operated low-cost grocery store in each borough to sell food at wholesale prices. Polymarket’s free grocery store seems to be a response or a preemptive action to this proposal, truly capturing the spotlight.
In response, Mayor Mamdani replied on social media with a screenshot from The Onion: “Heartbreaking: the worst person you know just gave a great idea.” Polymarket subsequently stated that they hope the mayor can visit and said, “We have been trying to reach out.”
More intriguingly, Polymarket is not the only prediction market platform engaging in such marketing. Competitor Kalshi also provided $50 worth of free groceries per person at Westside Market in East Village on February 3, attracting a large crowd.
Despite the obvious marketing motivations, this event has indeed brought tangible help to the people of New York. Tori Hall mentioned that her monthly grocery expenses are between $150 to $200, “Toilet paper costs $30 to $40, a case of good water costs $20 to $30, and eggs are $8 to $9. All this adds up to quite a lot. Prices are getting more and more expensive.”
She praised the event: “This is amazing, really great. I strongly recommend them, and I’m very grateful for their help to the community and the people.”
Ryan from Brooklyn has grocery expenses of about $80 to $90 a month, and he believes, "This is a great opportunity for those who are financially struggling or have no money."
After the event, Polymarket plans to shift towards accepting community donations. On February 15 afternoon and all day on February 16 (Presidents' Day), they will focus on collecting non-perishable food, and all collected items will be distributed to partner organizations in New York City to help neighbors in need.
For more on-site videos and interviews, please follow Odaily's video account.
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