I waited nearly 2 hours in the freezing cold for Kalshi's free groceries. Almost nobody cared about prediction markets.

Excuse my beet-red face. It just braved almost two hours waiting in a freezing cold line.

Henry Chandonnet/Business Insider

• I went to Kalshi's free groceries event. The line took almost two hours.
• Attendees got $50 to spend at New York's Westside Market, where prices were high.
• In line, most of the people I spoke to had never heard of Kalshi or predictions markets. They just wanted free food.

About an hour into my wait for Kalshi's free groceries event, I could no longer feel my toes.