Repeated price increases, sometimes combined with short-term sales, have pushed businesses worldwide to their limit. A few major retailers in the United States have already raised prices or warned that they will do so soon.

In recent months, President Donald Trump introduced new import taxes affecting most of the United States' trading partners and specific industries. Some countries, especially China, responded with their own taxes. Although many of the higher taxes were later stopped or lowered, several others remain, creating problems for businesses.

Questo accade perché le aziende che comprano prodotti fatti in altri paesi devono pagare delle tasse su questi. Quindi, hanno spese più alte che di solito fanno pagare ai clienti. Trump pensava che le sue nuove tasse avrebbero riportato fabbriche e soldi negli Stati Uniti. Però, visto che oggi compriamo cose che vengono da tante parti del mondo, gli esperti di economia dicono da tempo che tasse così alte faranno aumentare i prezzi di tutto, dal cibo alle riparazioni auto.

Many companies and their customers are already dealing with this situation. Here are some well-known retailers that have recently announced or expect price increases due to ongoing trade conflicts:

Walmart è l'ultimo ad averlo fatto giovedì, quando la più grande catena di negozi del Paese ha annunciato che dovrà alzare i prezzi per via dei costi più alti dovuti alle nuove tasse sulle importazioni.

Even though Walmart has taken steps to protect itself from some tariff risks, because most of its products are made in the US, the company is still affected. Higher prices started to show up in Walmart stores in late April and have increased this month, according to company managers. However, the biggest impact will be felt in June and July, which is when people start buying things for going back to school.

John David Rainey, the company's finance director, pointed out that prices are rising for many essential items. For example, the price of bananas imported from Costa Rica has increased from 50 to 54 cents per pound. He also expects car seats made in China, currently selling for $350 at Walmart, will likely go up by another $100.

"Normalmente cerchiamo di tenere i prezzi bassi, ma c'è un limite a quanto possiamo permetterci di fare, e questo vale per tutti i negozi", ha detto Rainey all'Associated Press.

Mattel, the company that makes Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, announced earlier this month that they would increase prices "if needed" to cover the costs of tariffs.

Il produttore di giocattoli, che produce il 40% dei suoi articoli in Cina, aveva previsto possibili aumenti di prezzo il 5 maggio. Questo è successo prima che Stati Uniti e Cina decidessero di sospendere per tre mesi molte delle nuove tasse sulle importazioni. Nonostante questa pausa, le tasse sui prodotti cinesi restano comunque più alte rispetto a prima dell'aumento deciso da Trump il mese scorso.

In una recente teleconferenza sui profitti, Mattel ha comunicato che prevede di trasferire la produzione di circa 500 articoli dalla Cina a fornitori in altri paesi quest'anno, un aumento rispetto ai 280 dell'anno precedente. Per alcuni giocattoli molto popolari, l'azienda ha affermato che utilizzerà fabbriche in diverse nazioni.

In early May, Microsoft raised the suggested retail prices of its Xbox consoles and controllers worldwide; for example, the Xbox Series S now starts at $379.99 in the US, up $80 from its 2020 launch price of $299.99, while the more powerful Xbox Series X has increased by $100 to $599.99.

Microsoft announced in an Xbox support update on May 1st that they understand these changes are difficult. The tech company didn't mention prices directly, but referred to "market conditions and rising development costs."

Besides the United States, Microsoft has also announced price changes for Xbox in Europe, the UK, and Australia. The company has confirmed that other countries will receive local updates. Furthermore, Microsoft has stated that they expect to increase the price of some new exclusive games, with the holiday edition costing $79.99.

Last month, major online retailers Temu and Shein announced price increases in similar statements, blaming "recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs."

At the end of April, customers began to notice higher prices on many items, especially as the May 2nd deadline approached for the "de minimis" rule, a duty exemption on low-value imports from China that shopping websites had used for years; a later agreement between the US and China reduced this burden somewhat, but these products are still taxed, with low-value packages from China sent via the US Postal Service now taxed at 54%, down from 120%.

Even before this pause, it seemed Temu had stopped shipping from China, using its existing US stock instead. The retailer, owned by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, still promotes many items from "local" warehouses, meaning US customers won't have to pay import fees. Meanwhile, Shein, based in Singapore, now shows a message at checkout saying: "Taxes are included in the price. You will not need to pay any extra fees upon delivery".

Stanley Black & Decker, the tool manufacturer, announced they raised prices in April and expect to increase them again between July and September because of higher costs.

"Il CEO Donald Allan Jr. ha dichiarato in un comunicato del mese scorso che stanno velocizzando le modifiche alla loro catena di fornitura e valutando ogni possibilità per ridurre al minimo l'effetto dei prezzi sui consumatori, salvaguardando allo stesso tempo l'azienda."

Leaders at Procter & Gamble, the huge consumer goods company behind brands like Crest toothpaste, Tide detergent, and Charmin toilet paper, also said they will likely need to pass increased costs from tariffs onto shoppers. Last month, P&G announced they would try to lower these costs, even by changing where they get supplies to avoid tariffs. However, the company admitted that customers might still see price increases as early as July.