NYC residents queue for free groceries at West Village Polymarket pop-up

On Sunday in a busy area of ​​restaurants and shops in the West Village, hundreds of New Yorkers They line up outside a pop-up store offering free groceries.

“New Yorkers are in pain,” said Nick from Queens, New York, one of several people interviewed by Fox News Digital outside the pop-up, as he waited for pasta sauce, bath soap and a bag of Tide Pods.

The scene was highlighted by the city’s cost of living issues and concern over who would receive a yellow ticket allowing entry to the convenience store before the merchandise was “sold out.”

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The pop-up was opened on February 12 as a five-day store by cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket. He comes as the Democratic Mayor of New York City Zahran Mamdani It advances a proposal for city-run grocery stores aimed at alleviating rising food costs and affordability pressures more broadly.

Billed as New York City’s first free grocery store, critics have called it a stunt attacking Mamdani’s proposal as the prediction market company faces intense scrutiny from regulators in various states, including New York.

Nick from Queens speaks to Fox News Digital outside The Polymarket. (Fox News Digital)

Shoppers described The Polymarket — which was separate from an effort Mamdani led to unveil subsidized city-owned grocery stores in each of New York City’s five boroughs — as a learning moment for the mayor as residents cited concerns about security, food running out and people cutting lines.

The giveaway attracted residents from across the five boroughs — some arriving before sunrise, others showing up mid-morning hoping for a yellow ticket and a spot in line around the block.

Rush for tickets

However, as the crowd grew, so did the tension.

People in line told Fox News Digital Sunday they were concerned they were making the trip for nothing.

“I literally got here at 9 a.m., and basically what they said was the tickets were sold out,” a woman named Fatima told Fox News Digital.

Another man, Sherrod from Jamaica, Queens, said the same thing happened to him.

He added: “They told me that they had sold out of tickets.” “I couldn’t get any more food…I couldn’t get to the store.”

Sherrod, a New York City resident, speaks to Fox News Digital outside The Polymarket on February 15, 2026. (Fox News Digital)

Fatima and Sherrod spoke after security guards began pushing people out of the building shortly after 9am, when the first batch of tickets sold out. Several shoppers said they were asked to leave the area and return around 1:30 p.m. for another shot — and not to remain on the sidewalk while ticket holders moved through the store.

A security guard stationed outside Polemarket was heard shouting to the crowds just after 9am on Sunday: “Let’s go people, let’s go. Go home.” “Don’t wait, don’t look, don’t watch. Please go home.”

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Shoppers were told the pop-up would open at noon and close at 3 p.m., or until supplies last. Ticket holders were allowed in a couple at a time and paired with a staff member to fill out a blue tote bag at no cost.

New Yorkers lined up around the building in the West Village as Polymarket opened its first-ever free pop-up grocery store in New York City, offering free food items to visitors. (Selcuk Akar/Anatolia via Getty Images)

Polymarket funded and operated the pop-up, a company representative told Fox News Digital, and the prediction market also donated $1 million to the Food Bank for New York City as part of the effort.

Polymarket also offered $50 gift cards to some shoppers who ended up at the back of the line and were turned away, in an effort “to be as accommodating as possible,” the representative said.

Some shoppers criticized the setup – and the mad rush for tickets – while early arrivals said security kept the line safe.

“The security was exceptional,” said Nick, who was fourth in line and got the ticket without problems. “This morning, there was a drunk man harassing a woman. I was asking him to leave. The security chief saw that we were in trouble, and he did his job and got him out of here and protected us.”

Michael, a New York City resident, spoke to Fox News Digital outside The Polymarket, which provides free groceries to those in need. (Fox News Digital)

“I’ve seen a combination of things, like security needs to work on the presentation, dealing with customers with flowery backgrounds… because they don’t have customer service experience,” another local, Michael, told Fox News Digital.

Michael set up a chair outside the grocery store and watched shoppers come in and out of the store all morning, but he wasn’t in line. He told Fox News Digital that he only had three cups of soup left in his cupboard, but was skeptical there would be enough groceries at The Polymarket at the end of the day to stock his pantry.

Prediction market company Polymarket is preparing to open a free grocery store in Manhattan on February 12, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The line attracted all walks of life – people with disabilities, working New Yorkers looking for financial support, and residents shopping for… HomelessNew Yorkers living in shelters, and others who do not speak English.

Somaya, a Brooklynite, said she visited the pop-up earlier in the week and was able to get “a dozen eggs and some butter” before they started running out of items. She has been out of work for more than two months and is currently on disability, and said the free grocery trip could spare her from spending nearly $600 a month on food and household supplies.

Somaya said the process inside may be uncomfortable for some, noting that shoppers are paired with someone who takes them through the aisles.

“Someone is shopping with me and I’m uncomfortable with it,” she said. “I also understand that sometimes you might have some people who want to go overboard and take a 10 out of something…but the person I was with, he was kind of rushing me through things and I wasn’t able to get all the things I wanted.”

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However, Sumaya said her overall experience was “very calm and serene,” and described the pop-up as “much needed in New York.” She said the turnout alone showed how widespread the need was — and how quickly word of free groceries could spread.

Dubbed “The Polymarket,” New York City got its first five-day free grocery shopping spree in February. (Selcuk Akar/Anatolia via Getty Images)

“I even met a woman who came from India yesterday and said, ‘Oh my God, I’m in line. I’m coming to get free food,'” Somaya said. “I’m thinking, how should I get back on the plane with that?”

Somaya called on local leaders to consider creating city-run stores to ensure the safety of these shoppers as they wait in line for merchandise — including from neighbors unhappy with the lines — while Sherrod called for a potential city-run effort to be better “organized” and “learn from this.”

Nick added that such stores should be located directly in poor areas and food deserts away from the affluent streets of Manhattan.

Hammer costs

Almost everyone in line – regardless of whether they got a ticket or not – declared that food costs in the city were too high, and that they needed help.

“Well, I was spending $300 to $500 on average on groceries,” said Jaquan, who took the train to get to the market on Sunday morning. “I was living with my mother, which made it worse. Now I’m homeless, living in a reception center.”

Mary, who is based in New York City, speaks to Fox News Digital outside The Polymarket. (Fox News Digital)

Another Big Apple resident, Monique, said she spent $200 on groceries “that day” and “didn’t even get much.” Sherrod, who said he has a family of four, estimated his monthly grocery spending at about $400 to $500 and described the free groceries as a real help.

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Nick said that choosing to wait hours to get a ticket is worth it, noting that it will save him the accumulation of other expenses.

“I have turned to fast food and this is negatively affecting my health,” he said, adding that he is already late paying his phone bill for a month because grocery costs come first.

Polymarket offers fresh vegetables and fruits, in addition to name-brand goods found in typical grocery stores. (Selcuk Akar/Anatolia via Getty Images)

For the more than 300 people who got tickets through the door, they were thrilled with the ride.

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“I got spaghetti. I got orange juice. I love orange juice,” Nick, of Queens, said after purchasing it at the store. “I also got some ground beef. They had grass-fed ground beef, they had lean ground beef and regular ground beef, so I’m glad I got that. I’m really glad I got grass-fed ground beef.”