Quickly-changing tariff news creates uncertainty among central NC consumers

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — When it comes to the tariffs President Donald Trump announced, the news out of Washington seems to be constantly changing, leaving some consumers confused.

Monday, the White House announced pauses on 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods that were supposed to go into effect Tuesday after being announced over the weekend.

That morning, with potential tariffs looming, Debbi Winogracki raced to get ahead of higher prices.

“I want to go shopping very quickly to get what I need,” she said.

Jeffrey Dorfman, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at North Carolina State University, said if sellers know tariffs are coming, they may not wait to hike prices.

“If you’re a seller and you know when you refill your shelves, you’re going to have to pay more to replace your inventory, you raise the price on what you’re selling immediately,” he said.

With tariff-related news changing throughout the day, some people say it’s almost impossible to plan and budget.

“It’s really stressful, especially if you’re above minimum wage, but in that in between area,” said Christina M., who asked only use her last initial be used. “I have a strict budget I have to go by every month to make sure that I’m doing well. If we’re putting in tariffs affecting that, I’m going to have to rearrange just about everything else.”

According to Dorfman, the uncertainty surrounding tariffs can also have a larger-scale impact.

“If we keep changing our economic policies on a whim, on a moment’s notice, by a tweet, then other countries may say it’ll be easier just to sell [their] stuff to somebody else or buy [their] stuff for somebody else,” he explained. “If other countries don’t want to buy our stuff, then that’s going to hurt a lot of jobs.”

Dorfman cited North Carolina’s furniture industry as one example of a field that could be affected by retaliatory tariffs.

If and when these tariffs go into effect, economists expect higher prices on fruits and vegetables, as well as cars, car parts, and electronics. Shoppers said paying more for some items will impact their budgets across the board.

“I don’t think I can plan and budget,” Winogracki said. “Am I going to be able to take a vacation this year? I don’t know. Am I going to buy all the items on my to-do list? Probably not.”