‘Empty shelves, higher prices’: Americans tell of cost of Trump’s tariffs | Trump tariffs
Paige Harris, a mother of two, has noticed a change in the way she shops for her family.
“The prices of items I regularly purchase have increased steadily,” he said. “While our shopping list has shrunk, from hair dye to baby food, our budget has also increased. Meats such as steak cannot be consumed at home.”
Harris, 38, lives and works as a teacher’s assistant in Stella, North Carolina, and is one of around 40 people who told the Guardian how they have coped with the price of goods in the six months since Donald Trump announced his sweeping tariffs.
on thursday, A research from S&P Global It found that companies are expected to pay at least $1.2 trillion more in 2025 expenses than previously estimated. But the burden is now shifting to U.S. consumers, according to researchers. They calculated that two-thirds of the “expense shock” (more than $900 billion) would be absorbed by Americans. Last month the Yale Budget Lab estimated The tariffs will cost households almost $2,400 more per year.
Harris says the impact of tariffs on her daily life is at odds with the Trump administration’s promises to “lower prices and make life affordable for everyone.” He said: “You’re seeing prices go up. It’s become very clear that this administration doesn’t care and doesn’t care about the daily lives of Americans.”
Several Americans told the Guardian their weekly budgets had drastically changed with the introduction of Trump’s tariffs.
“The prices are too high. I shop mostly at Costco and shop as little as possible elsewhere,” said Jean Meadows, a 74-year-old retiree who lives in Huntsville, Alabama. “I can’t imagine stores not noticing this change. I think people are really afraid of what’s coming.”
This sense of anxiety is also reflected in a recent survey conducted exclusively for the Guardian, in which respondents identified tariffs as the second biggest threat to the economy.
“The price of bread I buy has doubled in a year. We live on a fixed income that hasn’t kept up with inflation,” said Myron Peeler, who is also retired and the sole caregiver for his wife, who suffers from arthritis. He said the only saving grace was that his house and car were paid off.
Trump shows little sign of backing down on tariff policy; The White House argues that the move will stimulate American manufacturing and increase income from trading partners.
Most recently, the president reignited the trade war with China in November by threatening to impose 100% tariffs on Beijing. This comes after China moved to restrict exports of rare earth minerals needed for many everyday products, from electric vehicle batteries to hospital equipment; it was a decision Trump described as “very hostile.” In an interview with Fox News, the president acknowledged that the proposed tariff increase was “not sustainable” but said he was left with little choice: “They forced me to do it.”
Currently, average U.S. tariffs on Chinese exports hover around 58%, according to the Peterson Institute for Economics. It’s a tax that’s already hurting Americans like Michele from northeastern Pennsylvania.
“We need to buy new tires for a car, but we can’t because the affordable tires are no longer in stock and we can’t afford $250 per tire,” he said.
Many echoed Michele’s sentiments about the stock situation, describing the situation as “empty shelves, high prices.” Natalie, who lives in New Hampshire, said she hasn’t seen some pantry staples “in months.” He said: “Store shelves have become increasingly bare… there can only be one or two options instead of multiple options, and store brands are replacing brand brands.”
Natalie, 55, is semi-retired but will start working part-time in a supermarket and has seen the price of almost everything she regularly buys rise. “The price of any brand of cat food has doubled from 25%. A can of wet food that my cats love went from $1.79 to $2.49,” he said.
The new normal that many Americans are preparing for, or already feeling, isn’t just the cost of groceries; For people like Minnie, a food writer in Portland, Oregon, it’s a change in lifestyle.
“I don’t shop for non-essentials. There are no autumn shopping trips for a new sweater or jeans. We’ll also be doing all our Christmas gifts this year,” said Minnie, 55. “We used to eat out once a week. We never eat out anymore. Even fast-casual is incredibly expensive. Everything is twice what it used to be, and we’re terrified of what’s next, financially speaking.”
While the US inflation rate is running around 2.9%, a significant decline from Covid-era rises, the tariffs have not helped ease the impact on Americans’ wallets. Richard Ulmer, 81, who has lived in Florida for 35 years, said this has been the “worst year financially,” adding that “everything” from groceries to the electric bill has become more expensive.
Costs have skyrocketed compared to the “gradual price increases” of the first two years of the pandemic, according to Cassie, a 25-year-old consultant who lives in Siler City, North Carolina. Cassie has a strict budget of $65 a week for groceries, but she’s been priced out of her normal routine since Trump first announced his tariffs, including doing most of her weekly shopping at Walmart.
“I now have to visit at least four different stores in the area and other cities, often traveling longer distances to find the best prices,” he said. “Walmart and other stores in the area ran out of bananas for about two weeks during the summer and the Mexico/Latin America tariff announcement. No one in my area could buy bananas.”
