A trade war with China and tariff threats on other countries are ramping up pressure on stores that sell products from overseas. “Do I buy less because I think business is going to be hurt or do I try to buy extra merchandise because I’m afraid of an increase in prices?” one business owner asked.

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Simple take, a lot of small businesses are not gonna be here by the end of this year.
Getting into a trade war with nations you have a trade deficit with means that they'll suffer less by imposing tariffs on you than you will by imposing tariffs on them.

They can stop accepting the few products they take, while shipping goods via nations with the lower tariff rates.
Raise prices or eat the cost. Hmmm, wonder which they'll pick
You can’t eat a 145% increase in cost. So, your choices are: a) increase prices or, b) go out of business.
Whatever they do, why not also join the resistance?
Breaking News: Prices on MAGA hats and other Trump swag going through the roof as fallout from Trump’s China tariffs take effect!
Small businesses don't have the funds for massive tarrifs to front 3 months of inventory at higher costs. Additionally, stores will have to stop carrying items that are slow movers. This results in less options for consumers & less competition.
I don’t buy that that’s a tough call for a lot of businesses. Any corporation is going to raise prices.
Raise prices! Let everyone know/feel what the trump tariffs are doing to us.
I agree, they are in trouble either way, might as well put the political marker on the price tag and receipt.
*Eat the Rich

Fixed it for ya
I’ll never get why so many business ppl thought Trump would be better for them when all you get with him is chaos
Spoiler Alert:

They’ll raise prices.

Sorry.
Or call your republican congress member and tell them how you'll vote in the mid-terms. They can stop this.
“Do I buy less because I think business is going to be hurt or do I try to buy extra merchandise because I’m afraid of an increase in prices?”

Trump econ policy: tariffs= 1. chaos in the stock market to enrich himself; 2. confusion in the economy to reduce inflation by oversupply of goods
Eat it, y’all over price everything already, eat the cake!!!
As you don't know what the tariff will be until the goods arrive at the port, you probably don't want to buy ANY goods. Tariffs are applied at the date of importation, not the date of the contract.

Trump is changing tariffs daily.

Clearly a very stable genius and not a senile old racist.
(Parody) 2080 A.D. on a golf course in Florida
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Ffs if you’re doing comedy get it right
MAGA sunrise
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Trick question! Secret option #3: it doesn't matter how you price the tariff surcharge, because no matter what it does or doesn't cost, people are retrenching and not buying anything they don't strictly need!
Eat the cost? Like they did during COVID-19?

Yes, businesses are known to be quite altruistic--they will surely "eat the cost" of the tariffs, and not make l consumers pay more 🙄.
Lets also talk about those companies who jack the price of goods already in stock, blaming it on tariffs, which they didn't pay.
How do you think they pay for what is replacing those goods “already in stock”? Magical MAGA trade-fairy dust?
Not understanding your logic. The items in stock are already paid for, pre tariff time, so they should charge the rate they used then. Not jack the cost because they have now added tariffs costs to the items they will then order.
It takes $ to buy inventory, which is gained by selling existing inventory. If you sell something for $1, but it now costs $2 to replace it, where does that extra $1 come from? The math just doesn’t work. Your choices are: shrink by 50%, shut down, or front load the new tariffs so you can survive.
So how does that work when tariffs are done and you still have that inventory left. Wouldn't it even out?
Maybe? You could perhaps make that bet if you knew exactly when they were done and what would happen next. The inevitable result of indiscriminate tariffs is a recession. So now your inventory will sit longer, costing $ every day, rendering any “gain” from that tariff surcharge irrelevant.
You can't be seriously suggesting that they're considering eating those tariffs. At best, they'll increase in increments, not in one blow.
This is like some weird alternative outlet for buyer's remorse.
I wonder if that business owner would like to go get a drink later
Heck, I just bought a new computer as my old one was limping, pulling the trigger earlier this week due to the crazy-ass tariffs incoming. And now computers are suddenly exempt. I can’t imagine trying to navigate this self-inflicted mess as a business owner… 🤷🏼‍♂️
Me too, Xbox and laptop for my kids. I feel foolish but both of them are happy and both self conceded that they were early bday gifts.
I doubt consumers will be so gracious.
The correct answer is raise the prices. Pass on the tariffs to customers, even just in the short term. That’s the only way to force voters to take action against tariffs.
Do not forget the third option that far too many will face. Chapter 7,11 or 13.
Or
Stop eating 🤷🏻‍♂️
Fuck it. Buy what you think, that you look good in.
Every good revolutionary should a well made
suit to wear, smell nice and have at least one bottle of
Champagne in the fridge.
It certainly is a dilemma.
Do I vote for Trump who did this last time he was in office and said it repeatedly on the campaign trail. Or do I vote Harris who under Biden had an economy that was the envy of the world?
all perfectly normal in a nazi police starte,. And the mement equal protection under the law is restored and demoicrats stop bashing hilarys head in with a brick, we will fix this right up
I hear ya.
The Fuhrer Donald Trump and Elon Musk wanna enslave the Masses! Meaning you! and Take away your constitutional rights, Making you an Immigrant! Hello? Thus making you Eligible for there FEMA Death CAMPs, and or El Salvadorian Prisons, This is why they want greenland!
Here’s a view from Switzerland & the UK, I won’t knowingly buy anything from America or Israel
"A trade war"? Are you really so negligent? Any shame along with that abdication of responsibility to the public?
Chinese mass Production Know How + European Hight Tech/ High Quality Know How. Could be like Damast Steel.