Maybe the answer is not to force private companies to cover a money-losing store in a “food deserted” area but to ask the government to provide this service?!
The problem is criminality is so high in some areas that no amount of property tax relief will make up for shoplifting losses.
Its all water under the bridge anyway, as delivery services, amazon, etc, will make the concept of a supermarket as quaint as the concept of a record store or book store, in a couple years. I already get food delivered via amazon, I can't buy decent loose leaf tea locally or conveniently via any brick and mortar.
A true government operated store would resemble the DMV; wait in line for two hours to buy a bag of rice only to be told they only provide beans at this facility and you need to fill out another form and wait in line again. Then fill out the correct form and for homeland security reasons they can only provide the beans via mail delivery to your home address. And they can't give you beans until you give them proof of homeowners insurance and cooking training classes.
So subsidize it with dedicated law enforcement presence rather than tax relief.
> Its all water under the bridge anyway, as delivery services, amazon, etc, will make the concept of a supermarket as quaint as the concept of a record store or book store
Delivery services are also problematic in areas of high criminality.
I don't know how you reckon that it would be any more popular to have tax-subsidized, deputized loss prevention officers at such stores. Seems it would just feed into the outrage over "public servants stationed at Walmart?" "Tasing someone for shoplifting?"
Edit: But here's an idea in the same vein: go find cash-strapped families that would benefit from a one time infusion of money to do the long-term cheaper option for grocery shopping [1]. Say, they purchase in bulk and learn how to cook and coordinate monthly supply runs (rotating for fresher items etc).
They would be able to pay back a huge rate of return with just a fraction of the savings, which could then bankroll a virtuous cycle expanding the program.
Why hasn't anyone tried that? Or why hasn't it worked?
[1] The Vimes boot theory that is often quoted here.
Are you suggesting that grocery delivery will solve the food desert problem in poor areas?