Some Americans are shifting their summer plans to avoid tariff price hikes

Summer looks a little different this year for some Americans who say they are dialing back their leisure activities and shopping sprees due to tariffs.

Summer looks a little different this year for some Americans who say they are dialing back their leisure activities and shopping sprees due to tariffs.

Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump has ordered a number of sweeping tariffs, including a blanket 10% tariff on all imports, that have driven up costs on various products. He has also threatened additional tariffs, which has resulted in volatility in the stock market and continued concern from consumers about their personal costs.

“The tariffs are making high prices even more unreasonably high, to the point where … what you’re charging is not even close to what this is worth,” said Raina Becker, 49, a recently laid-off writer who now works as a freelance copy editor in upstate New York. Becker said she was hoping to invest in a new summer wardrobe. “And I can’t in good faith do it, because I can’t afford to spend my money like this.”

The apparel industry has taken an especially hard hit from Trump’s tariff program because a vast majority of clothing, shoes and accessories are manufactured in places like China, Vietnam and India before being shipped to the U.S.

Like Becker, Mei Wu, 31, who lives in Los Angeles, realized she can’t splurge on shopping this year. She had her eye on a $170 dress from the Australian brand VRG GRL as an outfit for her June birthday party. But when she saw that another $277.95 would be tacked on to the price because of tariffs, she decided not to purchase it.