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Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs

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Re: Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs

#32
post #22

But they're already talking about walking it back or lowering them tomorrow (Wed). All these stupid sky-is-falling headlines that become forgotten in a couple days when it's on to the next outrage moment. Like the whole Zelensky/Trump white house blow up is like sitting in on couples therapy. The deal is off! No, it's back on! It's tiresome. Edit: I'm not pro Trump or trying to defend the fuckery. I'm just sick of Tr…

It isn't sustainable though. People are making consequential business decisions based on the tariff announcements, even if they get walked back last minute those choices have still been made. > All these stupid sky-is-falling headlines I mean, what can be done here really? They're reporting on things Trump is doing. They can't not do that.

I don't personally blame the media here, and it is tiring keeping up with it. There's no real solution to it outside of the circus ending one way or another.

Re: Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs

#33
post #3

Any bets on how this will be justified by Trump voters? I'm thinking at first it'll be 'playing hardball negotiating tactic' and when it looks like the tariffs are here to stay 'paying more is patriotic'.

"These are external taxes paid by the exporting countries. Beautiful tariffs will allow the US to eliminate the IRS and replace it with an ERS". Basically no point in even having a conversation about it. The same way you don't discuss evolution with someone who thinks the universe is 6000 years old.

Who pays the tariff depends on the relative elasticity of supply and demand.

Re: Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs

#34
post #3

Any bets on how this will be justified by Trump voters? I'm thinking at first it'll be 'playing hardball negotiating tactic' and when it looks like the tariffs are here to stay 'paying more is patriotic'.

There's already talk about the tariffs being curtailed tomorrow. Which got the stock market all hopeful at end of day. Which I'm sure if this happens, will be accompanied by some bullshit claims of some concessions he supposedly obtained. And a lot of people in-the-know who made easy coin on the stock market today. And his followers will eat it up. Last month there was all sorts of blather on social media about how "…

It's hard to overstate how pissed off Canadians are about Trump's threats to annex Canada through economic bullying. People I know who have never boycotted anything are now boycotting US goods and services. There will be long-term consequences even if it's walked back tomorrow.

Re: Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs

#35
post #3

Any bets on how this will be justified by Trump voters? I'm thinking at first it'll be 'playing hardball negotiating tactic' and when it looks like the tariffs are here to stay 'paying more is patriotic'.

I haven’t paid attention to the politics here much, but isn’t driving up the price the point?

If you charge Canada a 25% tariff then products sold in the U.S. and shipped from Canada should cost U.S. consumers about 25% more. That, in turn, makes U.S. products look more attractive. A U.S. business pays taxes at the federal and state levels. A U.S. business also hires U.S. employees, who pay taxes as well and spend into the economy.

I’m sure I’m way over simplifying this, to the point of stupidity, but tariffs raise prices on foreign goods to encourage the sale and/or development of local goods, don’t they?

Re: Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs

#36
other thing which may happen is that businesses would start to behave like the ones in say Russia and the likes - utilizing long opaque subsidiaries and shell corp chains, some being just a paperwork, to "manage" the tariffs . The double Dutch would look like a child play. Once such [quasi]corruption starts it would be pretty hard to wean companies off it if/when things get back normal.

Re: Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs

#37
post #14
post #3

Any bets on how this will be justified by Trump voters? I'm thinking at first it'll be 'playing hardball negotiating tactic' and when it looks like the tariffs are here to stay 'paying more is patriotic'.

Oh, we've already seen it. I believe Fox News has already come out and said it's "patriotic" to pay higher egg prices. We live in a post-fact world. There are no principles in play. The key organizing principle of this society is cruelty. Truth is simply what powerful people say it is. And there's no opposition to any of it. Our supposed political opposition is way more interested in crushing progressive sentiment an…

Fox - remarkably - were explaining that it would in fact make most things much, much more expensive.

I think support is ambivalent, at best.

A few people are going to short hard and make out like bandits. But all-party social unrest on a huge scale is going to kick off long before they can fulfil their dream of buying up the entire country for pennies.

Cooler heads understand this.

Re: Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs

#39

I don't know if tariffs are the right answer but I want so much less Chinese junk in this country. We are absolutely overflowing with low quality junk.

Given the current MBA approaches to business, I doubt that bringing all manufacturing back to US would improve the quality of products.

Re: Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs

#40
post #3

Any bets on how this will be justified by Trump voters? I'm thinking at first it'll be 'playing hardball negotiating tactic' and when it looks like the tariffs are here to stay 'paying more is patriotic'.

I haven’t paid attention to the politics here much, but isn’t driving up the price the point? If you charge Canada a 25% tariff then products sold in the U.S. and shipped from Canada should cost U.S. consumers about 25% more. That, in turn, makes U.S. products look more attractive. A U.S. business pays taxes at the federal and state levels. A U.S. business also hires U.S. employees, who pay taxes as well and spend in…

That is the theory. But there is no incentive for US manufacturers to compete on price. If the product from China costs $100 (including the tariff), the same product from US will be $99.99. Selling it any cheaper would be stupid.
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