(The Center Square) – A Costco executive warned consumers that potential price hikes in stores could be a result of President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs.

A Costco executive warned consumers that potential price hikes in stores could be a result of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs.

  • mox
    61•3 days ago

    The recent trend of tariffs could have a silver lining.

    Removing dirt-cheap goods from the market will make it more difficult to ignore the underlying problem: People are not being paid enough for their labor to afford the things they need at home. Instead, they are expected to depend on subsidized/sketchy foreign manufacturing, while corporations and the super-rich are being allowed to extract a disproportionate share of the world’s wealth from everyone else, hoard it, buy favorable legislation and policies, and avoid paying their fair share in taxes.

    This is already unsustainable. I suspect tariffs will make it more obvious.

    I hope it will lead to positive and long-overdue changes. Unfortunately, I think it’s likely to make things worse for a great many people before it makes things better.

    • @Omega_Jimes@lemmy.ca
      16•3 days ago

      I could agree with this if there was a movement to produce domestically, then tariff imports. What I’m seeing is a tariff in an effort to drive domestic production and I just don’t see that environment being a good investment without significant government subsidies.

      The US wanted more Silicon foundries so they’re dolling out big bucks to make it happen, once you’re producing domestically, you tariff similar imports to drive sales of local goods.

      I mean, I’m not an expert in macroeconomics by any means, so it’s possible that I’m way off and the tariffs of cheap imports will start to drive multinational conglomerates to take a hit on cash flow and invest in domestic production. That’s a big leap of faith to take when you have a hungry nation though.

      • @anon_8675309@lemmy.world
        4•3 days ago

        I have talked to people who think companies get the extra tariff money and that’s what they’ll use to build manufacturing locally. I really don’t get how lazy people are. They just accept whatever propaganda they’re fed.

      • @legion02@lemmy.world
        15•3 days ago

        They used cheap to mean inexpensive and you’re using it to mean low quality. The price floor is by definition the most inexpensive items.

    • ZeppoEnglish
      6•3 days ago

      I agree. It could bring about positive changes, but slowly, and it will be much worse at first. Of course Trump and co-conspirators will manage to blame the problems on Democrats somehow.

    • HubertManne
      1•3 days ago

      essentially none of us make enough to pay us to do something. wealth is so unequal only the rich can afford american labor.