> > This week on the > > tis the season toys.

> > And tariffs > > working > > at a good public on Frankie Graziano in this is the Wheelhouse.

The show that connects politics to the people.

We got your weekly dose of politics in Connecticut and beyond right here.

For groceries and your holiday dinner to toys in your shopping cart tariff sheep, the cost of countless items.

President Trump recently rolled back some of the tariffs he imposed and the Supreme Court is weighing a case that could change how presidents set trade policy in the future.

Those decisions don't just affect global markets.

They hit Connecticut restaurants, retailers and your pocketbook this hour.

We're unpacking what tariffs mean for our wallets, our local businesses and our holiday plans here in Connecticut.

Joining me now to help set the stage.

Danielle de Rocher.

Daniels and international trade reporter at Politico is reporting focuses on the Trump administration's tariffs.

Danielle, thanks so much for being here.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

So happy to have you here, folks.

If you want to give us a call, if you have any questions that you'd like us to answer or at least something you'd like us address.

Give us a call.

8, 8, 7, to 0, 967-7887, to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, Danielle.

You've been following President Trump's tariffs over the past few months, which industries have been most significantly impacted.

> > I feel like most places of of really been hit, right?

It's it's there's there's not really anybody that's kind of gone unscathed.

If you if you think of any industry, the tariffs have ripple effects that end up, you know, affecting you in some way, shape or form.

I think it really depends on where you're getting your products from, right?

If you really dependent upon getting products from, say China or Asia.

It's been a pretty painful past year, particularly if you're searching from China.

If you're sourcing from Canada and Mexico to pending on the products, you may have kind of gone away unscathed because there have been some loopholes there.

But, you know, you mentioned the holidays are coming up.

The toy industry is absolutely one that has been really affected.

A lot of toys.

Their products are made in China.

It just is the kind of us economically feasible, place for them to produce their toys and so you've had the toymakers, you know, certain particular small toy makers across the country have been really frustrated with how the ongoing trade war with China has has unfolded over the past year.

And later on in this program, we're going to talk to a local general manager of a toy shop on how at least the tariff prices on one of the suppliers that she has.

> > Is impacting her business.

So stay tuned for that.

In November, President Trump authorized tariff cuts.

Can you talk about that?

> > Yeah.

you had an off year election in Virginia, New Jersey, where Republicans really got pummeled.

I think they lost more than than they were expecting.

And those races focused a lot on affordability.

And when we talk about affordability, obviously we're talking about housing.

We're taking on health care.

But the Ford ability stuff that people see day-to-day are often grocery prices.

And how much there they're seeing a check out every time that they they go to the store and so shortly after that, we saw the administration rollback tariffs on a lot of grocery goods things that you just can't grow in the United States like pineapples bananas, coffee.

We don't grow coffee.

Sit like in a substantial way.

Hawaii can't produce enough.

And so they rolled back tariffs on a lot of those products in the hopes that maybe help grocery prices come down a little that said the administration had been talking about.

They kind of targeted these things as things that they will potentially let up tariffs on with the knowledge that again, you're not gonna produce 70 bananas in the U.S.

And so they pass it off as like a well.

We've reached a point in our trade deals where this is the move to make at the same time the fact that it came after voters were really expressing their displeasure with affordability is a sign that that their knowledge at least how the tariffs are affecting people's perception of the > > And something to continue economy.

to watch as we saw another race may be impacted by what's happening with federal policy from the Trump administration.

As in Tennessee, there was that close race between Aftyn Behn and Matt Vande apps.

Obviously Ben did not win that but nonetheless, be percent could be close because of the affordability question.

I'm glad you brought that up there.

Do we know what motivated President Trump to roll back tariffs, things like beef, coffee.

Another Brazilian goods.

At least I'm trying to get more specific about the goods here.

I guess Daniel.

> > Yeah, I mean, again, I mean, the beef, the theirs people are complaining that beef prices and to the administration kind of floated.

> > Doing something as there's there's been a lot with Argentina and the administration been trying to help out Argentina have Malay, the president of Argentina is a close ally of Trump.

And so the administration bailed Argentina through cash exchange and show it was interesting because as soon as they started making moves to allow more beef into the country.

Republicans in Congress really got upset and they they pushed back in a way that we really haven't seen.

Republicans pushed back through much of this year.

And I think that that that at least scaled the administration back a little for for what they were planning on beef at the same time they did lower these these new tariffs right there already tariffs that exist on a lot of these products.

But they got rid of these new higher tariffs and it's been in the country, right?

Brazil has a 50% tariff, whereas so these other Central American, South American countries, they have 10% tariffs.

But their world is back and it doesn't change the fact that we getting a lot of Detroit balls here.

But but their tariff rate quotas rate, which say that you can accept a certain amount of goods into the country without a tariff and then they apply higher Turner for 8 years.

And so they haven't changed those quotas, but they have lowered the terror for for those coming in.

And, yeah, I mean, the motivation again, it appears largely its affordability thing right?

The that while the administration has acknowledged that these goods can't be grown and can't be produced in the U.S.

which is contrary to the goal of the administration, which is like let's get more stuff built here.

They had to make this acknowledgment of we're driving up the price of a good that we have no hopes of growing here.

We might as well lower those because we've reached a certain point of trade negotiation.

We don't need to hold this threat of a tariff over the heads of these countries that were negotiating with in the same way that we may have had to earlier on in this process.

Where's the beef?

We're going to talk about the beef later on with a local head of a grocery union here.

That's going to talk about the impact of the > > beef shortage on local grocers this holiday season.

That will come on later to.

So I'm glad that we're addressing some of these things locally here in nationally with Daniel, despite the fact that the White House continues to negotiate on tariffs.

There's a looming Supreme Court action that could impact what actually happens.

Where does that case stand now?

Daniel?

> > Yeah, the judges are writing a decision those who are awaiting the justices to weigh in.

They had argued oral are in November and early November.

Where it's kind of a wait and see moment.

The administration suspect is expecting a decision that could come any time this month because they asked for an accelerated consideration from the Supreme Court.

When you were listening to oral arguments, it seemed like a lot of the judges were skeptical of the claims that the Trump administration is making that he has these powers to impose these widespread global tears and if I could really get into the weeds here, right where they're 2 different tariff levels are different tariff actions.

The Trump is taken the action that is being challenged.

Are these really widespread global tariffs?

The ones that went on pretty much every country in the world and and the actions that he's used to kind of punished countries that have irritated and like India and Brazil where he's put an additional 50% or so.

Those are the ones that the Supreme Court is.

I think skeptical that he has that power to just kind of unilaterally impose tariffs in this way.

There are other tariff actions that he's done.

They're called Section 2.32 That's some of the stuff on steel and aluminum.

> > furniture, copper > > those sorts of things.

Those are being challenged, right like he has in his first term.

The Supreme Court was like, yeah, you can do this and so there's no challenge there.

And so you'll if the Supreme Court does end up ruling against him, you'll see this kind of to lose one maintain other powers.

The administration has pledged to apply tariffs and other ways the tariff question isn't really going away.

It's a matter of how will he do it?

How expansive can it be and how much authority does he have?

Your how much?

Just how much power does Congress really given up to the executive branch so that he can yeah, binge trade, too, as well.

That's a very good breakdown.

And I appreciate you get in the weeds because you're good to getting back out of it, which is what we we can get a little wonky here.

> > How unusual is it for the court to get involved in terror of power?

Sounds at least recently they did at least in the Trump administration.

Yeah.

I mean, you have to understand like the Trump administration is doing something that we haven't really seen.

> > 4 since.

Like the Great Depression right there, using tariffs in a way that are really unprecedented.

And so you're seeing more court action now that you have before, because some like President George W Bush just wasn't inclined to use tariffs and the way that the President Trump has.

And I think that if you look at the case and the Supreme Court, it's it's really at its core about the power between the 2 branches of government between Congress and between the president and that's I mean, that's generally how the Supreme Court operates right like that.

And they're asking these bigger questions about how our governmental system works.

And at the end of the day.

If you're bringing down in the simplest form possible it has Congress fully handed this tax ation power because a lot of people view tariffs as Texas right there, taxes on businesses that are bringing goods into the U.S.

that are either paid by, you know, businesses, consumers, importers, she you're asking as Congress really given this power of taxation over to the president when traditionally Congress is the branch that that handles any sorts of of of in levying taxes.

That sort of thing.

Thank you for clarifying that.

I appreciate > > If the Supreme Court does the rail President Trump's trade strategy is the out of options.

I don't know if we're expecting that.

But could we see this continue or I guess I guess let's look at the hypothetical of of if it doesn't go his way.

> > No, it will continue hundreds.

I say that with confidence.

But yet there are tariffs that are being challenged trade.

So you're still yeah.

And you let let's bring this back to real life You have furniture right?

There is a section to 32 to national security investigation.

There's no 25% tariff on wood products and includes upholstered furniture, the furniture industries they thought they were like in the clear they were able to get most of their goods from Mexico.

Tara, free.

There was some stuff going on in Southeast Asia.

But like all of a sudden, they're hit with upholstered furniture now is tariff and they're having to mitigate that and they're having to navigate those There's a kind of hire and brand our house.

I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly.

They said that they they're taking a 12 million hit.

This year and they're expecting a 50 million hit next year.

Just because, you know, they're trying to bring more of their work back to the U.S.

They are trying to lean on, you know, posters that that are us based using U.S.

products, but their supply chain is so Southeast Asia as Europe, it's Mexico and there they are having to to kind of take this hit, that they really weren't expecting.

And so yeah.

And and those tariffs won't be struck down with Supreme Court.

That is a separate action that's being taken there and the administration has pledged to use some of their other tools and more difficult.

There are more restraints.

There's more regulations, but they've pledged to use those other tools to apply tariffs on a global scale in the way that the area.

What about markets and other countries?

How are other economies dealing with the tariffs?

Are they getting similar kind of hits to that the American economy is > > Yeah, I mean, this is it's feeling?

a global thing.

I think Japan is contracting or or the the Japanese economy has been hit pretty hard.

The South Korean economy means much of the lake.

The reason that these countries haven't been like, hey administration, you can take your tariffs and shove it is because they their economies are really impacted by this.

They need the U.S.

has a market.

South Korea is a great example right there.

Auto industry.

All of a sudden you of the EU with a lower tariff rate, your Japan with alert air freight and their own industries have an to eat higher tariff and they really had this urgency.

Jake, to craft a deal with us and I mean, we do have to look at if you can define success in whatever way, but the Trump administration said we're putting on tariffs and they've succeeded in having countries be satisfied with a 10% or 15% tariff rate.

And these are countries that that had basically no tariffs are way, way, way.

Lower tears just a year ago.

And they're like, hey, yeah, here is a success.

We brought him down to 15%.

And so they really just changed the game and how we look at tariffs and how we look at countries being able to companies from other countries being able to operate in the U.S.

market.

And it it's radical shift that I think will will have longstanding impacts.

We always talk in local government about the strong or weak governments.

This is a strong example of strong government of what what they try to do there.

> > I want to invoke something that Howard Lutnick said to the FOX Business Network.

Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, that the goal is to bring prices down by Christmas.

That sounds nice.

What do we know about the feasibility of that timeline?

> > it's it's really interesting.

So as again, I'm going to kind of go in the winter because it months, right?

Economists have been like, hey, Tara prices are going to like as soon as these roll through, we're going to be paying more going to be paying.

We're going to be and yes, they have, but they haven't hit to the same extent that I think everybody was expecting and there are 2 reasons that one is there's been the kind of delayed implementation of the tariffs.

The president announced them April 2nd, but the higher rates really didn't go into effect until late August.

And so you're able to get a lot of goods in before the higher rates into went into effect and then to big box retailers target Walmart.

They've been pretty good.

It moving things around, adapting their supply chain.

They can lift to the price on one thing and lower the price and another thing.

And so it's been harder to kind of see the price increases.

Overall, though, we have seen kind of elevated inflation.

If you look across the basket of goods that is going to get harder and harder and harder.

I think that if talking to some of these big buck read box retails, the Christmas season is really, really important.

And so they're going try and keep prices down as much as possible for the next month.

And then in the 1st quarter of next year, that's when they say we're we're going to see more of these price increases partially because we're now starting to see more inventory that was hit with a tariff when it came into the country.

So that's a hard prediction from to make.

The White House has been.

Try it with sling a happy tune.

I would say on the economy for a while, right?

The the president has basically been like people are talking about the economy is good enough.

It's a messaging issue.

And so they're going to keep telling you that the economy is is great there.

I mean, there was a cabinet meeting yesterday where Scott Bessent the Treasury secretary said not only is the economy already doing great, it will do even better because of the tax bill that was passed in and July.

And he said that's gonna put more money in people's wallets.

And so these these tariffs price increases are going to be as much of an issue and so, yes, it's it's a difficult sort of thing to predict.

Certain products will go up.

Certain products won't for like furniture again like that.

Those prices have already been passed through.

But people when they go back, couch but a couch and a couple years.

And so they're like, yeah, it's more expensive.

I expected to be expensive.

And so they might still be buying it anyway.

And it's it's not as clean cut as prices are up.

People are turning away because consumers really are still spending and maybe some of that's being driven by the richest of the rich.

we haven't seen a full paws.

I mean, Black Friday, there was a big shopping Boone.

And so a lot of people are still perched and things during the same season right after Thanksgiving.

> > And that's what I keep hearing locally that people are still spending.

So I guess some some.

I guess I'm kind of confidence there.

You're saying that officials are singing a happy tune in Washington.

It's it's a Christmas season.

Nobody wants to hear about what's happening.

We could try to lower those right foot.

Go ahead.

Sorry.

And I've I've been focusing a lot on the big box retailers, right?

They're the ones who have to tell us publicly.

> > How things are going.

Yes, it was that there there.

They're facing small businesses are the ones that tend to struggle more with this right.

Walmart can shift around tariff costs.

They can switch their suppliers.

They can.

They can do more to mitigate this.

Then say the toy business in Ohio that makes dollhouses and they get their stuff from China and there prices went like their input cost just went up drastically.

And and so small businesses are really in the front line here.

A lot of them are having to take out loans to train, just make it through these tariffs and and a lot are worried about what's going on.

So it's I think it's important to not lose sight of Main Street how small businesses are having affair with this because it's a lot more challenging.

The pressure is on them are a lot more difficult than the pressures on Target and Walmart on Kohl's order or pebbles toys and gifts in New Haven, which buys wooden doll houses from Thailand.

> > Which we'll talk about later on in the show.

I'm excited to do that.

> > Hey, our retailers likely to change their pricing.

Andrea tile that we're in real time.

If tariffs hit.

> > Midseason or is most of this already baked into current prices?

So like, let's say somebody comes in and I'm and you're buying from China and the price per unit goes up a dollar or 2.

Are you gonna then shifted on that customers?

Are you were we're kind of we're kind of dug in for the season.

> > Right now they're done for the the and there and companies have been eating the tariffs more than we probably expected.

I think there was a Goldman Sachs thing that came out in > > October, it said that consumers are eating or face are because he was having to pay 55% or so.

That means companies are eating 45%.

About half of the tariffs.

And so they're not passing all of it on and then to do it as quietly as possible like they don't want you to feel sticker shock when you go to target and say, oh, no, a basketball just caucus meeting 10 more dollars than it used to.

And I bought it last And so they want to try and keep the price increases as quiet as possible.

But when they're talking to investors, they're saying, yeah, we're increasing prices.

We want to make sure that our profit margin doesn't get hit too hard by by these these tear gas.

> > And a tough time for some of these retailers.

I don't know who's on the basketball when I was a kid.

It was Michael Jordan basketball and it had the facsimile signature on it.

And I got excited.

told me, though, is going to be worth a million dollars out as very morbid virus.

She would always say it's gonna be worth a lot of money when he dies.

But who's on the basketball as a LeBron James maybe got a Webby basketball or something like > > I was just didn't see that?

anybody on the basketball star.

> > Nonetheless, they are.

They are eating these costs.

45 1% is a lot of these businesses eating the cost of the tariffs, wish industries that are pushing hardest for tariff relief and why it may be house that South Korean auto industry doing what give you some ideas of some of these industries here that > > Yeah, I mean, everybody is are in.

pushing for tariff relief and it's.

It's a challenge rate.

It.

If you look at the last administration that there were tariffs in the first Trump administration, their tariffs in the Biden administration, they're doing it in a way where there's a process where these businesses could apply for tariff exemptions.

And it was a really formal thing.

They can say we need an exemption because of X, Y Z. There's a process later in front of him.

The way that Trump administration has been doing the tears.

There is no process for that.

And so your best bet is to get in the room with him or to get in the room with Howard Lutnick or Scott Bessent and then argue your case and just kind of hope for exemptions.

We've seen some groups that have been successful that the tech industry has been pretty successful.

They after tariff exemptions and semiconductors, a lot of electronics.

The administration says that's because they will soon be applying tariffs of those things that they've been able to make it much of the year without having to pay tariffs on on the sort of things that would make your iPhone more expensive and the the auto industry has been successful in at least the American auto industry has been successful in getting tear for rebates for stuff that's produced in the U.S.

And so they're basically okay.

We're moving more of the auto industry over to the U.S., but we need some time to do that.

Can you just give us a little bit of a break in the process and they have gotten a little bit of tariff relief there.

And then the farmers, the AG community, they've been able to secure some input costs for farmers like, you know, you're John Deere tractors.

Going to be more expensive because the auto tariffs, but also fertilizer.

A lot of the products that go into fertilizer important.

And so they've been able to get exemptions on and fertilizers.

The other kind of big winner here is the aerospace industry.

Boeing not only is bowing be included in a lot of these trade deals.

People like, yeah, we're gonna buy 50 Boeing planes because that's an easy way meet investment targets.

The the administration wants, but also aircraft parts have been exempted from a lot of these tariffs trade deals with a bunch of countries.

So some people are successful.

Others.

I mean, they're banging on the wall, trying their best to get in the toy industry being a major one right there used to be.

I think no toys and tariffs are no tariff and toy story and they're frustrated because they haven't been able to get the administration to to really been there.

I mean, Trump himself said maybe you'll just have to deal with getting $2 instead of 30. so the toy industry's is being seen in a way so it's as if they're being seen as a luxury in some ways rather than than some of these other products like bananas and pineapples or whatever.

What have you?

> > yeah.

And then sorry, the last one because it's a holiday season.

People drink 1, 9, They've they've had a hard time getting tariff relief as well.

The spirits industry in particular.

I used to live in Kentucky and they they make their bourbon and then they send their barrels over to Scotland.

And so it's a really connected industrial.

Yes, so they're frustrated that that scotch is more expensive.

That Irish whiskeys more expensive that, you know, the champagne that you might pop on New Year's Eve is more expensive because of the stairs.

> > And when you talked about the tariffs, not really the loopholes, making it so that tariffs into Canada and Mexico are really impacting certain industries that bourbon industry is being severely impacted, at least in terms of what's happening in Canada.

Also no toys for tariffs.

I think I'm gonna write that down as 2025. band name of the year.

Daniel like that, a lot.

> > baby.

> > The Bourbon one is so are not fun, but Canada, they're there isn't much of a tariff on American whiskey and Canada.

The Canadians are just like we're mad at, you he was And so like that, you can't fix that.

Really?

There's nothing that the administration can do to lower tariffs on that or the Canadian government can do to lower tariffs on that.

That's just like Trump made them angry and they're saying, well, we're not going to hear Kentucky bourbons and it's one of those ripple effects that you get from.

I what would be elected trade war.

> > I'm so excited.

We dug into that because my hobby, I will not against confirm or deny that my hobby when I'm not being a dad or the host of the show or whatever else is speculating on bourbon Price is when I walk into a package store to try to find out if they have the latest.

Well, or or eagle, rare bottle.

Hey, this is fun.

Thank you so much, Dan.

You were going to point people to reporting it's tremendous.

You're going to continue to follow tariff pricing international trade reporter for Politico, Danielle De Rocher.

Thank you so much for coming on the show.

Yeah, thanks for having I can't wait to call you back to come on and watch out for those that tariffs there after the break, we delve into how tariffs may impact your holiday wish list.

Let us know.

Prices are changing your holiday plans.

Are you shopping differently this year?

> > He's got 7 to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 7, to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, But before we head to break.

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Wait to see what I'm wearing in a couple of weeks or TV next week.

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I'm Frankie Graziano.

We're in the middle of the holiday shopping season and this hour, we're looking at how economic forces like inflation and tariffs are impacting efforts to shop and save.

Consumer Reports has a price tracker on its Web site at Consumer Reports Dot Org.

Chris Raymond monitors the prices of certain goods there.

As Consumer reports home and tech editor.

He joins us now via Zoom.

Good morning, Chris Morning.

Thank you.

Thanks for having me on.

Thank you for coming on.

We're gonna have a nice conversation here.

I want to know what folks are noticing about items on their wish list were any anecdotes that they could share with us from the checkout counter.

Help us tell the story of holiday shopping in 2025.

By calling 8, 8, 7 to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 7, to 0, 9, 6, 7, 7, Chris, you've worked on this price tracker since May.

> > Yeah, we honestly came up with the idea in early April, literally on the day that the the tariff strategy was first announced.

I was meeting with one of my writers and the we're talking about the Nintendo Switch which had just been induced on that very day.

And normally Nintendo fans, gaming fans are accustomed to be able to preorder that item.

The data that gets announced but actually had to cancel preorders because they didn't have any idea on when what what the prices would be like when the item was actually introduced.

> > Being a parent of a gamer's heart.

I didn't know that there was a Nintendo switch to until my son saw the school talk, UConn game that he wanted.

And then it said that you had to on the Nintendo Switch to.

> > Well, guess what, Chris, we got the Nintendo Switch once we can get that and then we get that.

So that the you're giving me some bad mems about the Nintendo Switch there.

But.

> > And this does relate to tariffs.

You guys seen this in your like a maybe we should follow this and at least follow some items and put them on a tracker.

> > That's right.

So that that first day, you know, we are thinking, hey, would be interesting.

Then to follow, you know, to be take a number of items, right, and follow them through the year can see how prices shifted and we start off thinking about maybe doing 5.

And in the end we came up with 16 items soon as starting with a like 10 ounce tub of Folgers Coffee and going all the way up to the Ford F one 50 pickup truck.

One of the most popular vehicles in the nation.

And we wanted to kind of follow those prices.

Then week, 2 weeks.

So we literally on Friday morning I get up and I kind of clicked through this list of items.

We have 3 different retailers selling each one and we put the kind of see what the prices are.

And we, you know, we're thinking that this was going to be a sort of scientific thing.

You know, it's not strong barometer what's happening, but it really allowed us to kind of take a look and see when prices were shifting and then look into that and see if they're actually stories there.

And in the end, 5 of the 16 items have seen significant price increases since we launched.

So the story launched in in mid-May, I think with 3 weeks worth of Dayton, we've been following it since then.

> > What other work is that involved?

I know you guys are working with a marketing research firm or something like that what kind of work does this involve to papas?

That's right.

And again, you know, we're looking at 16 items.

So it's hard for me to, you know, look at what happens to the Ford F one 50 pickup truck and say this is the entire auto industry.

So > > when we started to see increases and I will do tell you, like in in we saw them in may right off the bat and the vacuum cleaner, the washing machine in the microwave oven all jumped up like $50 in one week's time we were able to reach out to open brand, which is a market research firm that we work on pricing of consumer reports and they listened people out into stores every week and record.

The pricing on thousands of items so we can really reach out to them and say, like, hey, you know, we're seeing something with appliances.

Major appliances.

What do you sing?

And they actually able to kind of take a look at their Actually had a report coming out the following day.

That said that they had seen increases in on in home appliances, you know, and in the weeks to follow they saw them in a home apparel and home furnishings as well.

So, you know, we do when we see these things happen, we kind of go back and we double check.

I think another good example was in in June.

Then the infant car seat from Chico went up by $10 and we were able to reach out to a home baby registry site called Baby List and they had actually seen a few 1000 items go up by as much as 18 to, you know, 2030% knew him prize during that > > All right.

You want it to stretch.

the Chico car.

See, we're going to talk about that a second, but let's get into some of those items.

Okay.

We're a stronger track or if we can.

When ask about a specific good on your list.

That consumer reports Dot org and I want you to kind of help me with the price increase or not since May and how it may be relative to tariffs.

Let's start with the best part of waking up its inventors and and the tariffs against.

Go ahead.

> > There you go.

And that was interesting.

Is that an item that we don't like?

You know, we don't test for coffee, but, you know, we knew as soon as we start talking about this, like, hey, you got to get some of the people are, you know, confronted with every single day.

Everybody expect to start the day off with coffee.

And so it was like a no-brainer to put on the list that was not a significant night and see, look at 50, you know, dollar increase or $10 like the infant car seat.

But that one has in step over the last few months so that that type of coffee now cross on average $2.40 more than you would expect over the next have, you know, cost at the start of the year and there again, that's something we were actually able to confirm with the consumer Price index.

I think the one that we looked at in September, it was up by coffee prices were up by 18%.

Overall year-over-year.

> > And that's if you think about that, though, when you think about the grocery bill, like $4 for one item is a is a is a pretty big jumps.

I'm glad that we're covering that because you think about how the grocery prices are.

We talking about the price of milk and eggs and something like that?

That is pretty hefty.

Here's what a lot of people have.

Any online shopping cart, maybe including my wife.

I think we bought this last year or or not this particular model, but this brand here, the Sharks navigator, professional vacuum cleaner.

> > Yes, that one's been very fascinating to me because there's not one item in the list that has seen such dramatic changes.

We see swings a 25 to $30 from week to week.

And so we ended up looking into that just a just a week or so ago to kind of trick trying for what was happening there.

That is an older model and is a very popular model as the shark professional and the 3.60, I think is the the official model number for it.

And as a result, that price has, like I said, fluctuates.

$25.30 dollars a week.

But a lot of that is because those are retailers that are sort of trying to draw people in either to their websites or into their stores to see it.

That item did jump up to $50.

Like I said in May.

And what that means is that you can still get deals on it, you know, but the when those deals are over it, it springs back up to a significantly higher price.

That was that in May.

When we launched this.

> > So I want to I want to continue to talk about this for a second.

Chris is a reporter essentially in a home in teh Qatar here for the website.

Again, we're not trying to get you into the new F one 50.

We're going through this stuff to try to make sure we can help consumers understand the nuance here.

What's happening with these price increases and how they relate to tariffs.

So we're doing this and having some fun with some of these items in order to get you guys to understand that we're talking about this consumer reports, Price tracker because this is the real work it takes even reaching out to an open brand testing.

The hypothesis doing this kind of work to help people understand these costs ships in something like that.

Hey, again, 16 items on the track or I think you referred to it as a small basket of products.

But what does your tracker tell us against and sort of summation here about this economic policy and how it's impacting U.S.

markets?

> > I think I mean, it certainly is impacting people.

It's it's hard to kind of put your finger on it.

And in part, because as you and Daniel discussed, there was a no-win 90 day pause in the tariffs right after they were introduced.

There are a lot manufactures.

The kind of rushed to kind of get products here to the U.S.

during that stretch and so they were actually able to keep prices down and then some of them have been, you know, a lot of manufacturers and suppliers have been ill.

Absorbing some of those costs.

But like I said, at the end of the day, you're looking at like sort of 5 of the 16 items on our list that have increased in price and, you know, to $1.40 Increse on your coffee is one thing.

But when you multiply that by the number of items that you're getting, there's just a real impact here And I think we saw that, you know, when those midterm alike elections, people are deeply concerned about the affordability issue right?

The cost of living and so on.

You know, I we had a for price tracker 2 weeks ago with the interim director Purdue has this center that looks that, you know, food security and they kind of look at that from month to month and track that and, you know, as of September 14% of the households in America were suffering from some form of like that.

The technical the definition of food insecurity from the food and Drug Administration.

And that's like roughly 5 million more people who are suffering from food insecurity this year.

So it's certainly a significant concern for many people in this country.

> > People going through a lot in America.

I'm glad that we're talking about here, Chris.

I got a couple more questions for you.

But first, I want to get a caller from Middletown in here, Catherine, you're not shopping at Amazon or Target.

Tell us why.

> > Because of the administration, I got my first ever membership at Costco and I love it.

And there's just some great local vendors.

You know, the man cave in Middletown.

Roddy's Country Barn in Middlefield.

I found a home baker in Killingworth that makes all Senate Chairman Bread.

Why?

Why?

Why you You know, really, it's just to benefit billionaires when we should be benefiting our neighbors.

Haywood were fired at the man cave in Middletown.

What's there?

> > A lot men are very hard to shop, But they they basically have what they need.

But I sound like a great lunch bag for him fun.

Funny boxer shorts and socks.

But they're big on cigars.

They have a humidor.

Grilling you know, just you know, I don't know walking because it every time I go in, I find something for one person and we wish gifts for 3 people.

just got great ideas.

Kathryn, I hate sound like that.

they wrap it for you, too.

I like that.

I really like I'll pay for that option.

I I sound like a stereotypical male.

Now the grill things and all that.

I was still counting.

Those sent me to a 40 Niners game.

But don't buy me step by step for the kids.

> > Thank you so much, Katherine.

I appreciate it.

Thank you for bringing up a local shopping.

We'll talk some local businesses, at least shortly, at least one of them.

So thank you so much, Katherine.

I appreciate it.

Happy holidays to you.

> > And I appreciate you guys.

Thanks so much.

Bye-bye.

Thank you.

> > And spend the rest of our time here, Chris, seeing if we can offer some tips like Katherine just shared to our audience.

But how should people be shopping at this time?

Let's talk about those.

let's say you're on the Consumer reports tracker and you're watching this.

You're trying to understand what's happening with prices.

When do I buy?

Crist would want a good time to get out there.

And by that, I I'm doing just that door.

Just take it on the chin.

And buy it right now at the price it anything you can do to help us here.

> > Yeah, I think you you know, you need to do a little bit of homework on this.

But I would say like if you are looking to, you know me by refrigerator because you need a new refrigerator and you see the price and the price is acceptable to you.

I would just go ahead and buy it.

You know, I don't think there's enough, you know.

Knowledge enough data there to kind of say here's the ideal time to kind of go buy that item.

If you need it, you should so to go out and buy it.

But I also think that there are deals to be had and we certainly saw that, you know, this past weekend over, you know, Black Friday, you know, there was the pair of headphones May says was selling a pair of what's on those days had looked headphones.

One of our highest rated headphones.

They usually retail for like over $300.

They were selling it for $100.

I saw a Apple laptops that were pricing between $507.

So there are still deals to be had.

And you should look for those and pounce on them.

When you get opportunity.

> > And it really I got excited.

We're going to we've got to end the segment.

But the old Apple iPhones and the Apple older, not old old, but maybe instead of the iPhone 17, it's the iPhone 16.

> > That's right.

Yeah.

I would recommend that you kind of look at going back a generation.

They certainly were, you know, the smart watch from Apple was on sale.

iPhone was on sale.

The other tip that I would give people is to look at the for Bush.

You know, Apple, Samsung LG, Best Buy Walmart.

They 100 furnished programs.

That's the you know, the kind word for use.

What we used to think of is used items, but they will take those items that they will restore them to pristine condition.

They often come to you in a brand-new box and you get a new one year warranty.

I got my laptop that way.

I was delighted with it.

And I saved about $150.

> > Some tips from Kris Raymond home and tech editor for Consumer Reports go to Consumer Reports Dot Org to see that Price Tracker.

Thank you so much, Chris.

We're doing is I appreciate you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Happy holidays.

It's bug.

Thank you so much for coming on.

After the break, we explore the the impact of tariffs on Connecticut businesses.

More real house next.

Connecticut Public.

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> > This is the Wheelhouse from Connecticut Public Radio.

I'm Frankie Graziano President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs of shaking up the global economy.

Trickling down to local businesses right here in Connecticut this hour, we're taking a look at.

How businesses and consumers are coping, especially during the holiday season, joined by Daniela down cell Latino communities.

Reporter for Connecticut Public.

Thank you so much for being here.

Dani, thank you for having me.

So happy to have you here.

I appreciate you coming on you're reporting recently took you on a trip to Parkville Market.

One of my favorite places here in Hartford, popular spot with many vendors.

Typical for the place to be bustling.

He spoke with a restaurateur there.

Who is he and how did he end up there?

Yeah.

So I had the opportunity to speak with him to get her.

A living is who has the Senate's restaurant or he owns?

> > A phone call and foul play in the park on market.

They're so good.

He also opened bureau but at the local and the circus IMAX.

So he brings a lot of Latin cuisine in there.

> > it isn't story is interesting.

He actually got furloughed, unfortunately during the COVID-19 pandemic.

> > During that time he went to visit a friend who had a restaurant in Parkville market.

This was in its early stages.

There's only a few in there.

He fell in love with the place and he to speak with his wife.

But they eventually decided to take out their 401 K savings to invest in these new businesses.

We really wanted to be there and down.

His wife was ever too confident about the idea.

But he thinks the bet paid off, especially during a pandemic.

And about tough time to open up a business in preparation for our conversation today, I talked to Lauren Coleman.

> > She's a general manager of excuse me actually.

I think we're going to actually have a clip here of any get it will get really gusty.

Let's see.

Let's see that.

I apologize.

This is going to be related to our next part here that I apologize.

We're going to have a with Lauren Coleman here, the general manager of Pebbles toys and gifts in New Haven, its wooden toy shop in East Rock.

Coleman says that in her open-ended toy shop.

That's what they called.

They're working to save money by clipping coupons and getting creative on shipping costs.

Coleman also says that while they aren't buying products predominantly from countries impacted by the Trump tariffs.

She was recently notified about some tariff-related price hikes for shop they buy from in Thailand called Plan 2 ways.

> > Their products will go up.

One $2 per sometimes less and right now we have not passed.

We're not planning to pass that on to our customers.

> > Daniel, it sounds like local businesses are really trying not to pass tariff-related costs and its customers.

And this is what I was trying to make in terms of the connection.

Is that something you heard from around in at the Parkville market and Harper to Oia?

Absolutely.

He is doing everything it can to make sure that > > his customers are not taking care of those tariffs related costs of course, that's going to take its toll And I spoke with him.

He said that as of November, he hadn't seen a profits for 6 months.

And unfortunately, that's because he saw his food cost.

The estimated that one from 25 to 40%.

So, you know, covering those costs have enough his profits, but he's willing to take that hit.

He says he just does not want him have his customers, you know, cover those.

> > It's a tough situation for folks.

It's also making me crave more fun.

Go over there.

At case, a shop over.

I also spoke with Wayne past.

She's the president of the Connecticut Food Association.

Pash says that there may be sticker shock this holiday season, particularly when it comes to the price of beef and chocolate.

> > I think the larger concern and this is not a Connecticut run, but a national trend is the cost of beef.

And so Thanksgiving is a poultry holiday.

Christmas is generally be followed a and there are large be shortages throughout the country.

The price of beef is up probably about.

25% from a year ago.

So there will be again, some sticker shock.

> > Earlier in the show, we spoke with Danielle De Rocher about he's from about President Trump rolling back some of the tariffs on items like beef which seems to be maybe a win for businesses like Enrique.

What other winds will Enrique and other Connecticut businesses be looking for?

> > You know, right now, one of the big ones that we're keeping an eye on is the U.S.

Supreme Court is currently weighing a decision.

And this is something we talk earlier.

You know, they're looking at a case in which small business owners are challenging the presidents ability to impose tariffs on tariffs on imports.

He's using this law called the international Emergency Economic Powers Act from 1977. basically gives him the ability to, you know, EU's economic powers and a national emergency.

But if he's imposing tariffs on this, do you know using this law legally?

That's what's in question right now.

It's unclear when a decision is going to be made.

But when that does happen, it will definitely change.

Things are > > And really quickly as any better.

local lawmakers weighing in to try to help in any game > > Yeah.

So Congressman John company.

Larson actually did visit Park the market.

He went to speak with restaurateurs like and okay to hear about their challenges with tariffs.

When I spoke with him, he essentially said, you know, not all tariffs are bad in and of itself.

His concern is with the way President Trump went about imposing then which is the executive order.

So, you know, he just wants to make sure that there is congressional process when it comes to those.

So he didn't introduce legislation to make sure that the Congress has required to vote before any new tariffs aren't and gone into effect in many times the end of the purse strings in appropriations there in Congress.

Daniela down cell wonderful reporting here.

Thank you for taking us into Parkville market and then coming here on asylum Avenue and helping us out Danny.

> > Thanks so much.

Please pay attention to her work in the Latino community's reporter for Connecticut Public at CT Public Dot Org.

Folks, before you go.

Don't miss out on the Wheelhouse.

Live on December 10 right here at Connecticut Public.

Studios in Hartford.

We're talking free speech and democracy with local experts.

More info and tickets available the public DOT org.

Slash ranking will see on December 10th today show produced by Chloe when edited by Patrick Scahill.

Technical producer is dealing race.

Thank you to the rest of our Connecticut Public team here for the work.

Download the Wheelhouse anytime on your favorite podcast app.

I'm Frankie Graziano.

This is the Wheelhouse.

Thank you for listening.