Retailers are crying into their imported throw pillows because President Trump’s tariffs are forcing them to confront their worst nightmare: rising costs. After years of avoiding American-made goods in favor of cheap overseas labor to boost their bottom lines, they’re suddenly outraged that those sky-high profit margins are taking a hit.
Gone are the days when “Made in China” meant endless profits and talk of tariffs was nonexistent. Now? That one-two punch of higher prices and shrinking selection during the upcoming holiday season is hitting them like a Black Friday stampede.
Take big-box chain Balsam Hill (they sell artificial trees and other decorations online), who lamented to MLive [1] that with Christmas coming, and orders being placed, tariffs are complicating their lives. Then there is the U.S. toy industry who sources almost 80% of their products from China. SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE?!
But let’s not forget the ever-popular retail battle cry: “It’s not our fault!” Retailers want to remind us that it’s all Trump’s doing and not the fact that they have been fine for years and years buying things from China instead of America – and now it’s come back around to bite them. Do I feel sorry for these anti-American retailers? Not a bit.