Less selection, higher prices: How tariffs are shaping the holiday shopping season

Boston Globe

21-07-2025

Months of confusion over
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The
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The lack of clarity has been especially disruptive for the U.S. toy industry,
The U.S. tariff rate may have
The late start to factory work in China means holiday toys are
In the retail world, planning for Christmas in July usually involves mapping out seasonal
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Increasing his own prices that much might turn off customers, Smith said, so he explored ways to 'maintain a reasonable margin without raising prices beyond what consumers would accept.' He ordered a lower cost Crazy Forts building set so he would have the toy on hand and left out the kids' edition of the Anomia card game because he didn't think customers would pay what he would have to charge.
'In the end, I had to eliminate half of the products that I normally buy,' Smith said.
Hilary Key, owner of The Toy Chest in Nashville, Indiana, said she tries to get new games and toys in early most years to see which ones she should stock up on for the winter holidays. This year, she abandoned her product testing for fear any delayed orders would incur high import taxes.
Meanwhile, vendors of toys made in China and elsewhere bombarded Key with price increase notices. For example, Schylling, which makes Needoh, Care Bear collectibles and modern versions of nostalgic toys like
All the price hikes are subject to change
'My concern is not that I'll have nothing, because I can bring in more books. I can bring in more gifts, or I can bring in just things that are manufactured in other places,' she said. 'But that doesn't mean I'm going to have the best stock for every developmental age, for every special need.'
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The retail industry may have to keep taking a whack-a-mole approach to navigating the White House's latest tariff ultimatums and temporary reprieves. Last week, the president again reset the rates on imports from Brazil,
The brief pause should extend the
'In my view, we're seeing a peak season push right now to bring in goods ahead of potentially higher tariffs later this summer,' Seroka said Monday.
The pace of port activity so far this year reflects a 'tariff whipsaw effect' — imports slowing when tariffs kick in and rebounding
Smith, who co-owns the two JaZams stores with his partner, Joanne Farrugia, said they started placing holiday orders two months earlier than usual for 'certain items that we felt were essential for us to have at particular pricing.' They doubled their warehouse space to store the stockpile. But some shoppers are trying to get ahead of higher prices just like businesses are, he said.
He's noticed customers snapping up items that will
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'We're just trying to be as friendly as we can to the consumer and still have a product portfolio or profile that is gonna meet the needs of all of our various customers, which is getting more and more challenging by the day,' Smith said.
Balsam Brands' Harman said he's had to resign himself to not having as robust a selection of ornaments and frosted trees to sell as in years' past. Soon, it will be too late to import meaningful additions to his range of products.
'Our purpose as a company is to create joy together, and we're going to do our very best to do that this year,' Harman said. 'We're just not going to have a bunch of the items that consumers want this year, and that's not a position we want to be in.'