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New York Post
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Walmart quietly jacks up prices — despite Trump's demand for retailer to ‘eat the tariffs'
Walmart has quietly been hiking prices on items ranging from toys to office supplies, with some markups reportedly climbing more than 100% — despite President Trump's demand for retailers to 'eat the tariffs.' Photos circulating online, particularly on the Walmart subreddit, have documented the dramatic price hikes since the White House imposed a 145% tariff on imports from China in early April, before lowering the levy to 30% last month. The price of toys, the bulk of which are made in China, were particularly impacted. 5 A fishing reel is on sale at Walmart for a whopping $83.26. Reddit/Majestickenny12 A 'Jurassic World' T. rex rose from $39.92 on April 27 to $55 by May 21 — an increase of nearly 38%. Price tracking site AisleGopher shows the same item cost $29.74 in November. A 'Baby Born' doll jumped from $34.97 in March to $49.97 in May, a roughly 43% rise, while a Lite Brite Magic Screen set moved from $14.97 to $21.97 (up nearly 47%). The popular Etch A Sketch jumped from $14.97 to $24.99 — nearly a 67% increase. The price on some office supplies also surged, with a roll of tape that previously sold for $4.24 soaring to $9.94, a 134% spike. Other notable hikes include a heating pad rising roughly 25%, from $19.98 to $24.96, and a fishing reel surging from $57.37 in April to $83.26 in May, a 45% increase. That same reel was listed for $51.12 as recently as mid-March, according to AisleGopher. 5 'Baby Born' dolls have seen prices rise by more than 40%. Reddit/Plus_Astronaut_420 The Post reached out to Walmart for comment. Walmart's Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey acknowledged the hikes and called them 'unprecedented,' according to Business Insider, which first reported on the backlash over the increases. 'We have always worked to keep our prices as low as possible and we won't stop,' a spokesperson told the outlet 5 The price of a 'Jurassic World' T. rex toy at Walmart rose from $39.92 on April 27 to $55 by May 21 — an increase of nearly 38%. Reddit/Nvalee 'We'll keep prices as low as we can for as long as we can given the reality of small retail margins.' The Arkansas-based retail giant posted profits of $15 billion-plus last year, according to The Post's Charles Gasparino, who last week reported that stores were not going to swallow the cost of tariffs for long. Trump has demanded that Walmart and other retailers 'eat the tariffs' rather than pass costs on to consumers, publicly rebuking the company after its CEO warned it may soon raise prices due to rising import levies. The Post reached out to the White House for comment, which deferred to comments made by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday. 5 The White House has touted what it calls encouraging economic indicators since President Trump rolled out sweeping tariffs. REUTERS Bessent told CBS's 'Face the Nation' that inflation is down despite concerns over tariffs. Last week, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditure index, decreased to 2.1%, its lowest level in seven months. 'Thus far there have been no price increases,' Bessent said. 'Everything has been alarmist, that the inflation numbers are actually dropping. We saw the first drop of inflation in four years. The inflation numbers last week, they were very pro-consumer.' In a statement on Thursday, White House spokesman Kush Desai pointed to what he called encouraging economic indicators. 'Americans have now seen multiple expectation-beating inflation and jobs reports since President Trump took office, with the prices of essentials like eggs down an astonishing 61%,' Desai told The Post. 'The Trump administration remains committed to deploying a full suite of supply-side reforms including rapid deregulation, tax cuts, and domestic energy production to deliver economic relief for the American people.' 5 'We have always worked to keep our prices as low as possible and we won't stop,' a Walmart spokesperson said. AFP via Getty Images Retail experts caution that while tariffs are likely a factor in these hikes, they may not be the only reason for the increases. Companies adjust prices for a wide range of reasons — from supply chain disruptions to shifts in demand — and publicly listed prices do not necessarily reveal how much of the change is directly attributable to tariffs. Still, the timing of the hikes has renewed attention on Trump's trade war and its lingering effects. According to Walmart, about 60% of the products it sells in the US come from domestic suppliers. The company has spent years trying to reduce its dependence on Chinese imports. Despite that, analysts say it's nearly impossible for big-box retailers to fully shield themselves — or their customers — from the financial fallout. David Bellinger, a retail analyst at Mizuho Securities, told clients on Wednesday that he expects the broader impact of tariffs on consumer spending to remain relatively small — perhaps just a low-single-digit percentage. But for individual items, especially those sourced from China, the effect may be more pronounced.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Walmart Workers Share Photos of Price Increases
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Walmart employees have been sharing photos of price increases at the store, after the company announced that it plans to raise prices on some products as a result of President Donald Trump's tariffs, with a subreddit about the retail giant showing increases of as much as 45 percent. Newsweek has reached out to Walmart outside of regular working hours via an online contact form. Why It Matters In May, a month after Trump announced his sweeping tariffs on U.S. trading partners, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said: "We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible, but given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren't able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins." Two-thirds of Walmart's products are sourced in the U.S., with groceries accounting for about 60 percent of its U.S. business. Numerous companies have raised their prices to mitigate cost increases as a result of Trump's universal 10 percent tariffs on products entering the U.S. A Walmart Supercenter on May 15, 2025, in Austin, Texas. A Walmart Supercenter on May 15, 2025, in Austin, To Know One example posted to Reddit shows the Walmart label of a Jurassic World t. rex toy that jumped in price from $39.92 on April 27 to $55 on May 21. The Reddit poster wrote on the site that it was: "Just crazy to see happening in real time." A Baby Born doll also increased in price, from $34.94 in March to $49.97 in May, according to Aisle Gopher. Representatives of the toy industry have said that tariffs would significantly impact their sector, as many toy manufacturers rely on Chinese imports. In response to concerns about the cost of toys, Trump said "Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know." Another product on the Walmart site that spiked in price was a left-handed fishing reel. It rose from $57.37 to $83.26 from April to May, a jump of 45 percent, with a post on Reddit showing the two price stickers. Aisle Gopher's price history says that the price of the reel was $51.12 on March 14. Another Reddit post showed an increase in the price of cocoa powder from $3.44 in May 2024 to $6.18 in April 2025. What People Are Saying Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey previously told Newsweek: "As we look ahead, while operating conditions are expected to remain dynamic, our strategy is clear, our top-line momentum is strong, and we are flexing into our advantages to protect margins as we grow." What Happens Next In April, Walmart said that the uncertainty around trade is making it difficult to plan for the future.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Walmart workers are sharing photos of price hikes of 38% or more — and some prices are up at Target too
Photos are appearing on social media showing sharp price increases at Walmart and Target. Walmart's CFO recently said tariff rates were "too high" and that prices would go up on some items. Analysts expect the overall impact of tariffs to represent a small percentage of total spending. President Donald Trump's tariffs appear to be hitting the shelves at Walmart and Target stores across the US. Walmart employees have been sharing photos recently on the Walmart subreddit showing sharp price increases of as much as 45% at the retail giant. Meanwhile, some of the items have also seen price increases at rival retailer Target. In one example, a Walmart label shows the price of a Jurassic World T. Rex toy jumping from $39.92 on April 27 to $55 on May 21, an increase of nearly 38%. A third-party website that tracks Walmart prices, AisleGopher, shows the price was $29.74 back in November. Another toy — a Baby Born doll — jumped from $34.97 in March to $49.97 in May, an increase of about 43%. And in a third case, a left-handed fishing reel sold by Walmart went from $57.37 in April to $83.26 in May, or a 45% jump. The price was $51.12 on March 14, according to AisleGopher's price history. Some of the price increases have happened even more recently. On Wednesday, the same two toys were listed on for roughly the same prices that Walmart had carried them for before the price increase. By Thursday, however, the Baby Born doll price was increased to be in line with Walmart. "We have always worked to keep our prices as low as possible and we won't stop," a Walmart spokesperson told BI in a statement. "We'll keep prices as low as we can for as long as we can given the reality of small retail margins." Walmart CFO John David Rainey said recently that tariff rates remain "too high" and warned that prices would go up on some items in the coming weeks and Trump responded by saying Walmart should " eat the tariffs." Target CEO Brian Cornell said price increases would be a "very last resort" and that the company would aim to offset the new import costs in other ways. Target didn't immediately comment when contacted by Business Insider. Although certain items are seeing significant hikes, companies can choose to raise prices for a variety of reasons, and the listings don't indicate how much tariffs may have impacted the retail price. Mizuho retail analyst David Bellinger said in a note Wednesday that investors expect the overall impact of tariffs to represent a low-single-digit percentage of total spending. A US federal court ruled on Wednesday that Trump does not have the authority to impose his sweeping tariff strategy. Walmart has said it sources about 60% of what it sells in the US from US suppliers, and the company has been on a multi-year effort to reduce its reliance on Chinese imports, which were the subject of the steepest tariff rates.
