In April, Amazon AMZN said it would hold the line on prices. The Journal’s analysis of prices from e-commerce data firm Traject Data found that while Amazon’s price rose on 1,200 of its cheapest household goods, competitor Walmart WMT lowered prices on the same items by nearly 2%.
Take the stackable metal basket from Ohio-based Dayglow, which imports from China and other countries. Before mid-February, Amazon sold it for $9.31. By late April, Amazon had lifted the price to $19.99.
Many of the products tracked by the Journal are “everyday essentials” on Amazon—a category that represents one of every three units sold on Amazon in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2025, the company said.
Amazon struggles to turn a profit on these products because shipping costs erase the already-thin margins, said Corey Thomas, an Amazon vendor consultant. Walmart can afford to lose money on similar online sales because customers often buy more profitable items in stores, he added.
Many brands and retailers have used coded language when discussing pricing strategies with investors, fearing political backlash. Earlier this year, Amazon backed away from a plan to display tariff impacts on its bargain website Haul after the White House called the plan a “hostile and political act.”
Trump Accuses Amazon of “Hostile Political Act” on Tariff Price Labels
Amazon considered, then rescinded, price tags that show tariff impact.
Reporter: It was reported this morning that amazon will soon display a little number next to the price of each product that shows how much the Trump tariffs are adding to the cost of each product. Isn’t that a perfect crystal clear demonstration that it is the American consumer, and not China that is going to have to pau for these policies.
The question was to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed him aside to deflect the question.
Leavitt: I just got off the phone with the president about this announcement. This is a hostile and political act by Amazon. Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden Administration hike inflation to the highest level in 40 years?
Ah Yes. Whataboutism.
Is there any indication Amazon held off on price hikes during the massive spike in inflation under Biden?
I strongly suspect no, because if everyone did that, prices would not have increased the most since the mid 1970s.
Regardless, it’s irrelevant.
Trump wants the state set or influence prices. No Republicans should support such price control idiocy, but they do en masse.
It’s one of the the biggest cults in history.
Would someone please tell me when price controls have ever worked?
Unless you just crawled out from under a rock you would pretty much KNOW that Amazon will raise prices as more and more stores close and we all depend on the on-line buying experience.
realityczech
1 year ago
lauren sanchez’ boob job isn’t gonna be cheap. jeffy needs some extra scratch to replace dem flotation devices, in the event of an emergency
Matt
1 year ago
All taxes ultimately are a tax on consumers. To me, a tax on imports vs domestic just is pushing consumer behavior towards domestic. But taxes are taxes regardless. I prefer tarrifs over domestic taxes.
Rogerroger
1 year ago
Like everyone else they just wanted trump off their back. At some point everyone is gonna have to ball up if you want the problem to go away. Esp republicans in congress.
Michael Engel
1 year ago
If u ask a question: AI thinking will give u an answer after reading dozens of article in 1/3 of a sec. Did Googl lose its monopoly. Are all AI the same.
Last edited 1 year ago by Michael Engel
Michael Engel
1 year ago
Many Jews haters fell in love with Epstein. Take your bets: Can the dems prove that Trump ordered Epstein murder. If Gigi Maxwell tells congress that Trump had fun in Epstein island is that a crime. Can Trump DOJ prove Obama’s coupe attempt.
All Trump has to say: I am eighty now. I had a lot of women in my life: sixty, fifty, forty and thirty years ago, including in Epstein island. The legacy media will bonk and the dems counterattack will run out of ammunition, before the Nov 2026.
Last edited 1 year ago by Michael Engel
Kevin M
1 year ago
“Related Posts” list shows the problem in a non=partisan way. Suppliers would like to raise prices, sure good for them if they can do it, and will use any convenient excuse – Obamacare regulations, Trump tariffs, killer bees, high sodium, polar bears drowning, whatever’s available at the time.
Greg
1 year ago
?How many US companies will go bankrupt trying to be good MAGA comrades & eat Trump’s tariffs instead of passing on to consumers?
Trump and Marcos: when Trump started talking about Obama criminal gang CNBC cut him. Trump will sue Comcast and Sarah for $10B. $10B for cowardness.
Last edited 1 year ago by Michael Engel
Michael Engel
1 year ago
The Chinese ev boom in EU: the ev invaders are limited to 400 cars/Y per model. Chinese mfg are changing models fast to keep selling in the European market. 400 ev pcs sold in 2023 are junk this year. Most new models increased range and reduce charging time. They are good for 250kwh/350kwh charging stations, but most Europeans charging stations output is only 50kwh/75kwh. Many don’t have Android auto apps bc China hates Googl. The Europeans are buying junk cars.
Volvo EX90ev, EX40ev and EX30ev were sold in the US (no Buick ev) under Biden. Both Buick and Volvo closed dealerships after sale fell dramatically. Tariffs on European made Volvo cars and parts affected sales. Volvo EX90 ev are produced in the US (SC). The EX40 are shipped from Belgium to avoid tariffs on Chinese ev.
Be that as it may, but that is only a delay, until things change. Do you expect China to stay out of the US car market, now that they are throughout it?
This is what the Tariffs are doing for them. It will determine which direction they need to take, and take they will for sure. I have also read that China is known for selling at higher prices for higher profit, because they can.
This will toss that out, but profit is still being made, but not as much. This IS Trumps Point! 2026 will be a banner year for Chinese Car sales in America, and especially now that the cost will come down even further…
“Demand for ev, US and Chinese ev co, will rise when oil will rise.”
Assumes new vehicle car buying decisions are driven by operating cost.
Is that a good assumption?
Bigger story seems to be an old story – USA and Europe seem unable to make local auto manufacture profitable relative to foreign auto manufacture.
EV is a “that kind too” detail.
Last edited 1 year ago by Kevin M
Name
1 year ago
Jeffies wedding needs to be paid for
Michael Engel
1 year ago
Let me repeat: tariffs aren’t price control. Tariffs protect essential industries and workers. Most workers will earn more in real terms. The tax rates and regulations got a haircut. Zoomers will not invest in the decaying RE. More people are shifting from junk food, restaurants and bars to healthy food and to traditional cooking for the family. More people will return to family values. The divorce rate will plunge. The boomers will eat shit. Trump chromosomes rule the future. They are mandatory !
” essential industries” like coffee and underwear?
Ignis
1 year ago
Awesome! At least it’s not worse!
Wisdom Seeker
1 year ago
WSJ (and CNBC from a few days ago) get their main revenues from corporate interests who oppose tariffs because they’re bad for profits.
I suspect Mish is feeding this beast because, like many, he has made flawed assumptions about the impact of tariffs and is looking for confirmation rather than questioning the assumptions.
Amazon sells millions of products in a competitive marketplace. If they raise prices on everything, they lose sales to their competitors. But they often raise and lower prices on specific items based on supply & demand, anvailable inventory etc.
On any given Monday you could find price increases on thousands of items but if you don’t also count the drops elsewhere, you’re just brainwashing yourself.
Many commenters here already know other online stores beat Amazon on price already, and are switching away.
The article cited here says Walmart has lowered prices 2% on average, directly contradicting the CNBC B.S. from a couple days ago claiming one store had raised prices on 12 items as though it were proof of inflationary Armageddon.
Don’t lose sleep over this, there are much bigger issues to worry about!
I think we’re getting even more price changes up and down due to AI determining sweet price points for each day. It feels like airline ticket pricing on steroids.
Avery2
1 year ago
Is Bezo getting another divorce?
steve
1 year ago
Mountains of unsold Amazon merch are auctioned off by the pallet full for pennies on the dollar daily. Some of the more viable stuff finds it’s way to our little country market, also for pennies on the dollar.
You just have to know that shop-lifting will ramp up.
David Heartland
1 year ago
What inflation. According the FED it is 2.7% (I know, it’s the BS CPI).
FDR
1 year ago
Just another example of front running by another oligopolist in the retail sector. It has been proven time and time again that inflation is a by product of the supply side increasing prices anticipating inflation particularly today in a setting where there are more oligopolies present in the US economy than in the 70s.
As for the last successful wage and price controls it can be argued that Nixon’s worked but was subsequently gutted in large part due to Tricky Dickey pressuring Arthur Burns to lower interest rates, which he did and only exacerbated inflation, hence gutting price and wage controls.
Before the Friedmanites start writing back, I’ll readily concede that shortages did occur in some sectors after lifting price controls, but oil for example was due to supply restrictions by legislation signed by Nixon prior to price controls and the 7 sisters as they were known then were and today’s oil cartels are now an oligopoly.
Tariffs aren’t price control. Tariffs protect essential industries. There will be a shift from buying houses, new cars, spending in bars and restaurants, from frivolous spending to a conservative consumption, preventive medicine and traditional family.
Without regard to tariffs’ effects, I agree that they’re not “price controls”. Price control means telling a merchant they can’t charge more than X or can’t raise prices more than Y%.
Thank God. The last thing I want is to buy a house and have fun in a bar or a lovely time in a restaurant. Finally I can spend the money i would use to buy a house for my family, and instead spend it on ‘traditional family’. Which presumably does not need a house.
Bill
1 year ago
Do you ever report on anything good, you damn democrat?
Trump and JP are partners. QQQ and SPX made a new all, but closed below yesterday high. The bull run might be over.
Last edited 1 year ago by Michael Engel
I’m back robbyrob
1 year ago
Trump’s Commerce Secretary Loves Tariffs. His Former Investment Bank Is Taking Bets Against Them
A subsidiary of Cantor Fitzgerald, which is run by the sons of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is letting clients essentially bet that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will be struck down in court.
Amazon sells a gazillion articles under $20 so a few thousand getting price increases are not even a drop in the bucket.
“Reporter: It was reported this morning that amazon will soon display a little number next to the price of each product that shows how much the Trump tariffs are adding to the cost of each product.”
That caught my eye. If Amazon does this and if it can be proved that what they listed was wrong then they would be open to a good lawsuit so Amazon will not do it. They would have to make the calculation for each product and recalculated it each time the price changed. The risk of making mistakes is huge and if caught then the suing side could charge them with malicious intent which is definitely something you don’t want to be charged with. Obviously the reporter hadn’t thought it through.
Wait wait wait.
This is just starting. More and more chaos is coming.
Do you think Trump will end this tariff problem and live happily ever after?
No. Trump will destroy globalisation completely and will create more unexpected things.
Nobody knows what in his mind.
“Would someone please tell me when price controls have ever worked?”
Deja vu for Nixon years, where various such manipulations (as well as Fed-twisting) teed us up for long-term inflation (OK, there was already a process underway, but still …), plus other malaise.
Trump’s handlers definitely studied the Nixon years, but have far less self-restraint. And of course he constitutionally lacks that: he is the inverse of it.
I lived in socialist country when I was young. Economy was controlled by government and things were scarce. Scarcity create black market. Government doesn’t understand market economy and human greed.
Nowadays socialism and capitalism are behaving closer and closer.
Difference is one party and multiparty.
The fate of the country depend on the leader rather than the system.
Trump and co like the 1890’s when the US had high tariffs and no income tax and usually ran healthy budget surpluses.
Peppe
1 year ago
It’s a lot cheaper to just go to Superstores, WM than Amazon. I bought Iron railing for $440 delivered at H. H. while Amazon was $770, Wayf was $690 Online shopping has been creeping up and up , You have to pay for convinience of not going out shopping.
Correct. A LOT of what you see on Amazon is just mom&pop stores listing their goods online via the Amazon website so they can be ‘seen’. Those mom&pop stores do not have the ability that Walmart and the other warehouse stores (CostCo, BJs etc) to buy in bulk and get discount prices.
I always, always verify any price I see on Amazon against Walmart and other online warehouse stores.
In June the budget deficit flipped to $27B surplus. Yes: a surplus. All from tariffs. It’s a kickstart. In 2025 the gov might collect more than $300B from tariffs. Costco slumped. Walmart cannibalized Costco. Walmart is selling small quantities in repetitions. Cost is using your house as their warehouse. They make u drunk. AMZN will drag the mag7 down.
Second vote. I would read it.
(Different Kevin – coincidental)
Last edited 1 year ago by Kevin M
Anthony
1 year ago
retail margins are single digits, assuming they are positive which on many items they are not.
of course Amazon will raise prices. why would a for profit retailer subsidize Trump policy?? Are we living under communism where the state dictates a business should eat losses to shield government policy from criticism?
the nonsense about Biden is just that, nonsense. there wasn’t one Biden policy that directly impacts prices. tariffs raise prices directly on importers. it’s very easy to establish that this or that price hike was due to this or that tariff. easy monetary policy and stimulus– which Trump did plenty of during covid — will have inflationary effects but it’s multi-step removed from price of goods.
tariffs literally raise the price of goods. that is the whole point f them, to make imports less attractive domestically by making them more expensive and this is done by increasing import prices of goods.
“ Are we living under communism where the state dictates a business should eat losses to shield government policy from criticism?”
Yep.
“ tariffs literally raise the price of goods. that is the whole point f them, to make imports less attractive domestically by making them more expensive and this is done by increasing import prices of goods.”
Yep.
Rogerroger
1 year ago
price control is the same as rent control. Haha Whos the socialist now
Imo a good chunk of bidens inflation was from trumps policies before him. Trump set the policy of printing money during covid and half of it come under his watch biden continued the policy and produced the other half. Trump also raised tariffs during his first term which took time to adjust. Running into bidens term.
Ive been getting interesting reels from newsome where hes just throwing facts at the republicans. Im an independent and consider myself a political observer. Anyway interesting See if it works for him. .
+888
1 year ago
About when prices controls worked ? WW2. Though the government went through requesting massive decline in the quality of goods in planned economy. This postponed the high inflation until 1946
if you don’t include the black market. ask the butcher how many times he “sold” his dog to his customers
NickL
1 year ago
Walmart decreased prices but Amazon knows that Gen Z and Millennials at least those in NYC won’t shop at Walmart. Remember that this group also pays an average of $4000 a month every month in rent
– Not that Simple, Walmart elected to lower prices on cheap stuff. Rest assured they are making it up elsewhere.
> Not what I read?
– The WSJ reviewed nearly 2,500 household items sold on Amazon between Jan. 20 and July 1 to track price changes, they found 1,200 of them had an increase. > Keyword: “January 1’st” When did Tariffs kick in and raise prices exactly? Hmm…
– The analysis found notable increases, on everyday essentials, such as deodorant, detergent and food products, saw at least a 5% increase. > Keyword: “Essentials” Perhaps they are trying to work up their base, to attack Trump for Them “Raising Prices” on essentials?
– Walmart cuts prices while Amazon faces tighter margins. > Being smart about it, Walmart has the advantage of Stores, while Amazon has to SHIP Everything.
– The data, provided by e-commerce analytics firm Traject Data, also showed that Walmart took the opposite approach, cutting prices on nearly identical products by around 2%. > Because Walmart can!
– The WSJ reports that Amazon struggles to make a profit on low-cost essentials, as shipping costs eat into its already narrow profit margins, according to Corey Thomas, a consultant who works with Amazon vendors. He noted that Walmart has more flexibility, as many online shoppers also make in-store purchases, which helps counteract the losses. > Nicely explained.
– The company warned the administration that the added import duties were likely to increase prices on basic goods. > Covered there tracks for this eventual increase due to their cost. Again Walmart doesn’t have this issue nearly as much. They buy BULK and literally “Store It” their back rooms are filled to the brim with inventory not even unpacked!!! I know, as I have unpacked and then put away 1000’s of items! It’s there business model and inventory systems.
– Trump responded in a post on Truth Social, criticizing Walmart and saying the company makes billions of dollars and should “eat the tariffs” rather than pass on added costs to its “valued customers.”
> Trump is right, and Walmart obliged, but decreasing everything by 2%! The profit margins are very small, so a 2% decrease is nothing to sneeze at… but again, Amazon doesn’t have this ability.
Michael Engel
1 year ago
Buy real live food, not junk food. No trade deal with the Europeans until Trump
meets Xi in Oct. Long enough for a systemic change in their infantile brains.
There are some interesting, somewhat contrarian ideas in geopolitics, trade and economics introduced here, in a talk by Prof. Stephen Kotkin (author of greatest-ever monumental Stalin books, and Hoover Institution fellow at Stanford):
The world in flux and Trump’s role in a new equilibrium – Stephen Kotkin Lecture – Apr 25https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtgWytCmulg
NickL
1 year ago
The price increases are more than 2% , but somehow according to economists consumer spending is solid while Gen Z and Millennials continue to spend.
Somehow paying down a $25,000-$45,000 auto loan is never mentioned like a student loan of the same amount which has a much longer term and is unsecured
The real question is how sales hold up with these price increases due to the tax cuts and lower gas prices putting more money in consumer pockets
Yes and their parents still subsidize them and act as ‘guarantors’ on a Brooklyn NY apartment lease .
Hiring managers don’t want to hire them and who can blame them
New College Grads Not Working Out, Most Hiring Managers Say: Survey
Seventy percent of companies surveyed noted that some hires had to be placed on performance improvement plans.
By Mary Prenon
5/15/2025
Inappropriate attire, excessive use of cellphones, poor quality of work, and foul language are just a few of the reasons 65 percent of U.S. hiring managers gave for firing college graduates who had recently started their first job.
A Pollfish survey of 1,000 managers across America, reported by Resume.com, revealed the reasons that eight in 10 managers said newly hired college graduates did not work out during their first year on the job.
Excessive use of cellphones ranked as the top pet peeve of managers at 78 percent. Some 61 percent of managers found that their new hires were entitled or easily offended, while 57 percent noted that these new employees were unprepared for the workplace. Lack of a work ethic scored 54 percent, followed by poor communication skills at 48 percent and lack of technical skills at 27 percent.
Other concerns that managers had about the graduates included lateness, failure to turn in assignments on time, unprofessional behavior, and inappropriate dress and language. Seventy percent of companies surveyed noted that some hires had to be placed on performance improvement plans.
A lot of people, IMO, will find themselves wrong-footed in the next 5 years. I just try to hang onto my balance sheet and simplify, simplify. I teach a solid subject at a college that is extremely affordable, no $90k liabilities here. I’m wracking my brains to provide value for Fall, and soaking up much from the bright content and debates here!
I was surprised by the thoughtful quality of the comments on Mish’s blog…. I let a couple of years pass before it even occurred to me to check the comments, back in the day…. 😊 Your link above to Professor Kotkin’s lecture is an example of the extra value that can occasionally be found lurking below Mish’s excellent cut-through-the-BS blog…
If there were any Presidential administration that would screw around with government data to show the numbers they wanted, the Trump administration is certainly most likely to do so!
JOHN STURGES
1 year ago
Have found Amazon go have consistently higher prices vs Walmart’s online. $20 more on some $150 items. Walmart has no shipping cost if the order is over $35. All my shopping turned to Walmart 6yrs ago.
This may be true, but it sounds like a wubbie for someone mad at amazon for doing the logical thing and passing on tariff costs. Walmart will most assuredly do the same. So at best Walmart will be cheaper than Amazon tomorrow, but more expensive than walmart is today.
Sure but which items get included in the ‘Basket’ of items used in the monthly CPI report .
And also this article is useless click bait because it links you to an article behind a paywall, and most of these items that are shown are hardly essentials except maybe for some bougey millennial living in Brooklyn
Yeah we debunked the CNBC nonsense here a few days ago. Headliner was a high end car seat price increase … that was nothing more than market repositioning, since the other car seats at Walmart had gone down in price on average.
Unless you just crawled out from under a rock you would pretty much KNOW that Amazon will raise prices as more and more stores close and we all depend on the on-line buying experience.
lauren sanchez’ boob job isn’t gonna be cheap. jeffy needs some extra scratch to replace dem flotation devices, in the event of an emergency
All taxes ultimately are a tax on consumers. To me, a tax on imports vs domestic just is pushing consumer behavior towards domestic. But taxes are taxes regardless. I prefer tarrifs over domestic taxes.
Like everyone else they just wanted trump off their back. At some point everyone is gonna have to ball up if you want the problem to go away. Esp republicans in congress.
If u ask a question: AI thinking will give u an answer after reading dozens of article in 1/3 of a sec. Did Googl lose its monopoly. Are all AI the same.
Many Jews haters fell in love with Epstein. Take your bets: Can the dems prove that Trump ordered Epstein murder. If Gigi Maxwell tells congress that Trump had fun in Epstein island is that a crime. Can Trump DOJ prove Obama’s coupe attempt.
All Trump has to say: I am eighty now. I had a lot of women in my life: sixty, fifty, forty and thirty years ago, including in Epstein island. The legacy media will bonk and the dems counterattack will run out of ammunition, before the Nov 2026.
“Related Posts” list shows the problem in a non=partisan way. Suppliers would like to raise prices, sure good for them if they can do it, and will use any convenient excuse – Obamacare regulations, Trump tariffs, killer bees, high sodium, polar bears drowning, whatever’s available at the time.
?How many US companies will go bankrupt trying to be good MAGA comrades & eat Trump’s tariffs instead of passing on to consumers?
Billions Greg, billions.
Demand for whiskey, beer and Pepsi snacks is falling. PEP is down from $200 to
$120. BUD from $132 to $32.
Traditional microeconomics charts show price as an output of supply and demand as inputs.
WMT has been a better performer by far over AMZN post Covid. Many shelves were empty at WMT last week
Until Nov 2026 the junk legacy media: Epstein sluts, Epstein sluts. Trump DOJ action against Obama cabal just started.
Trump and Marcos: when Trump started talking about Obama criminal gang CNBC cut him. Trump will sue Comcast and Sarah for $10B. $10B for cowardness.
The Chinese ev boom in EU: the ev invaders are limited to 400 cars/Y per model. Chinese mfg are changing models fast to keep selling in the European market. 400 ev pcs sold in 2023 are junk this year. Most new models increased range and reduce charging time. They are good for 250kwh/350kwh charging stations, but most Europeans charging stations output is only 50kwh/75kwh. Many don’t have Android auto apps bc China hates Googl. The Europeans are buying junk cars.
Cheap, unsafe Small Series SSTY for Chinese ev in Europe.
I suppose it’s how you view this exactly. Business Insider Reported Last May:
– Chinese car brands are missing from the US market, but Chinese-made cars are still sold in the US. > It appears America does too?
– Americans bought 104,000 Chinese-made cars in 2023 and nearly 28,000 in the first quarter of 2024.
– Buick, Lincoln, Polestar, and Volvo all sell cars in the US that are made in China.
> Americans are buying them up as well…
Volvo EX90ev, EX40ev and EX30ev were sold in the US (no Buick ev) under Biden. Both Buick and Volvo closed dealerships after sale fell dramatically. Tariffs on European made Volvo cars and parts affected sales. Volvo EX90 ev are produced in the US (SC). The EX40 are shipped from Belgium to avoid tariffs on Chinese ev.
Be that as it may, but that is only a delay, until things change. Do you expect China to stay out of the US car market, now that they are throughout it?
This is what the Tariffs are doing for them. It will determine which direction they need to take, and take they will for sure. I have also read that China is known for selling at higher prices for higher profit, because they can.
This will toss that out, but profit is still being made, but not as much. This IS Trumps Point! 2026 will be a banner year for Chinese Car sales in America, and especially now that the cost will come down even further…
If China will build factories in the US: yes. Demand for ev, US and Chinese ev co, will rise when oil will rise.
“Demand for ev, US and Chinese ev co, will rise when oil will rise.”
Assumes new vehicle car buying decisions are driven by operating cost.
Is that a good assumption?
Bigger story seems to be an old story – USA and Europe seem unable to make local auto manufacture profitable relative to foreign auto manufacture.
EV is a “that kind too” detail.
Jeffies wedding needs to be paid for
Let me repeat: tariffs aren’t price control. Tariffs protect essential industries and workers. Most workers will earn more in real terms. The tax rates and regulations got a haircut. Zoomers will not invest in the decaying RE. More people are shifting from junk food, restaurants and bars to healthy food and to traditional cooking for the family. More people will return to family values. The divorce rate will plunge. The boomers will eat shit. Trump chromosomes rule the future. They are mandatory !
” essential industries” like coffee and underwear?
Awesome! At least it’s not worse!
WSJ (and CNBC from a few days ago) get their main revenues from corporate interests who oppose tariffs because they’re bad for profits.
I suspect Mish is feeding this beast because, like many, he has made flawed assumptions about the impact of tariffs and is looking for confirmation rather than questioning the assumptions.
Amazon sells millions of products in a competitive marketplace. If they raise prices on everything, they lose sales to their competitors. But they often raise and lower prices on specific items based on supply & demand, anvailable inventory etc.
On any given Monday you could find price increases on thousands of items but if you don’t also count the drops elsewhere, you’re just brainwashing yourself.
Many commenters here already know other online stores beat Amazon on price already, and are switching away.
The article cited here says Walmart has lowered prices 2% on average, directly contradicting the CNBC B.S. from a couple days ago claiming one store had raised prices on 12 items as though it were proof of inflationary Armageddon.
Don’t lose sleep over this, there are much bigger issues to worry about!
I think we’re getting even more price changes up and down due to AI determining sweet price points for each day. It feels like airline ticket pricing on steroids.
Is Bezo getting another divorce?
Mountains of unsold Amazon merch are auctioned off by the pallet full for pennies on the dollar daily. Some of the more viable stuff finds it’s way to our little country market, also for pennies on the dollar.
Goodwill gives a 25% discount if you’re over 55.
Noice!
You just have to know that shop-lifting will ramp up.
What inflation. According the FED it is 2.7% (I know, it’s the BS CPI).
Just another example of front running by another oligopolist in the retail sector. It has been proven time and time again that inflation is a by product of the supply side increasing prices anticipating inflation particularly today in a setting where there are more oligopolies present in the US economy than in the 70s.
As for the last successful wage and price controls it can be argued that Nixon’s worked but was subsequently gutted in large part due to Tricky Dickey pressuring Arthur Burns to lower interest rates, which he did and only exacerbated inflation, hence gutting price and wage controls.
Before the Friedmanites start writing back, I’ll readily concede that shortages did occur in some sectors after lifting price controls, but oil for example was due to supply restrictions by legislation signed by Nixon prior to price controls and the 7 sisters as they were known then were and today’s oil cartels are now an oligopoly.
https://www.tcm.com/video/208777/formula-the-1980-movie-clip-we-are-the-arabs
The above link is courtesy of Turner Classic Movies.
As for meat, it was the largely the cartel of producers and the meatpacking industry that created the beef shortages.
Marx, is that you ?
Tariffs aren’t price control. Tariffs protect essential industries. There will be a shift from buying houses, new cars, spending in bars and restaurants, from frivolous spending to a conservative consumption, preventive medicine and traditional family.
Without regard to tariffs’ effects, I agree that they’re not “price controls”. Price control means telling a merchant they can’t charge more than X or can’t raise prices more than Y%.
You mean moving from capitalism to socialism?
You’re wrong.
Trump is pure capitalist.
You poor will be taxed and tariffed to death.
Thank God. The last thing I want is to buy a house and have fun in a bar or a lovely time in a restaurant. Finally I can spend the money i would use to buy a house for my family, and instead spend it on ‘traditional family’. Which presumably does not need a house.
Do you ever report on anything good, you damn democrat?
Real life consequences suck, don’t they.
Do tell… what’s good?
C u next Tuesday
Food prices on Amazon are ridiculous. Most of the other products will be bought at Walmart, Sams Club or Costco
Stocks just hit the 5th seasonal inflection point. But it looks like a larger decline is in store.
Trump and JP are partners. QQQ and SPX made a new all, but closed below yesterday high. The bull run might be over.
Trump’s Commerce Secretary Loves Tariffs. His Former Investment Bank Is Taking Bets Against Them
A subsidiary of Cantor Fitzgerald, which is run by the sons of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is letting clients essentially bet that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will be struck down in court.
https://www.wired.com/story/cantor-fitzgerald-trump-tariff-refunds/
Amazon sells a gazillion articles under $20 so a few thousand getting price increases are not even a drop in the bucket.
“Reporter: It was reported this morning that amazon will soon display a little number next to the price of each product that shows how much the Trump tariffs are adding to the cost of each product.”
That caught my eye. If Amazon does this and if it can be proved that what they listed was wrong then they would be open to a good lawsuit so Amazon will not do it. They would have to make the calculation for each product and recalculated it each time the price changed. The risk of making mistakes is huge and if caught then the suing side could charge them with malicious intent which is definitely something you don’t want to be charged with. Obviously the reporter hadn’t thought it through.
Wait wait wait.
This is just starting. More and more chaos is coming.
Do you think Trump will end this tariff problem and live happily ever after?
No. Trump will destroy globalisation completely and will create more unexpected things.
Nobody knows what in his mind.
That is his aim.
“Would someone please tell me when price controls have ever worked?”
Deja vu for Nixon years, where various such manipulations (as well as Fed-twisting) teed us up for long-term inflation (OK, there was already a process underway, but still …), plus other malaise.
Trump’s handlers definitely studied the Nixon years, but have far less self-restraint. And of course he constitutionally lacks that: he is the inverse of it.
I lived in socialist country when I was young. Economy was controlled by government and things were scarce. Scarcity create black market. Government doesn’t understand market economy and human greed.
Nowadays socialism and capitalism are behaving closer and closer.
Difference is one party and multiparty.
The fate of the country depend on the leader rather than the system.
Trump and co like the 1890’s when the US had high tariffs and no income tax and usually ran healthy budget surpluses.
It’s a lot cheaper to just go to Superstores, WM than Amazon. I bought Iron railing for $440 delivered at H. H. while Amazon was $770, Wayf was $690 Online shopping has been creeping up and up , You have to pay for convinience of not going out shopping.
Correct. A LOT of what you see on Amazon is just mom&pop stores listing their goods online via the Amazon website so they can be ‘seen’. Those mom&pop stores do not have the ability that Walmart and the other warehouse stores (CostCo, BJs etc) to buy in bulk and get discount prices.
I always, always verify any price I see on Amazon against Walmart and other online warehouse stores.
The risk and cost of driving yourself to and from the place is not insignificant.
True but movement is essential.
In June the budget deficit flipped to $27B surplus. Yes: a surplus. All from tariffs. It’s a kickstart. In 2025 the gov might collect more than $300B from tariffs. Costco slumped. Walmart cannibalized Costco. Walmart is selling small quantities in repetitions. Cost is using your house as their warehouse. They make u drunk. AMZN will drag the mag7 down.
…so, $300 billion in extra taxes on the American people…?
Wow
Mish, could you do an article on the GENIUS Act and the use of Stable Coin as a “privatized” alternative to a Fed issued CBDC?
I have some thoughts but not may area of expertise.
Will consider it.
Second vote. I would read it.
(Different Kevin – coincidental)
retail margins are single digits, assuming they are positive which on many items they are not.
of course Amazon will raise prices. why would a for profit retailer subsidize Trump policy?? Are we living under communism where the state dictates a business should eat losses to shield government policy from criticism?
the nonsense about Biden is just that, nonsense. there wasn’t one Biden policy that directly impacts prices. tariffs raise prices directly on importers. it’s very easy to establish that this or that price hike was due to this or that tariff. easy monetary policy and stimulus– which Trump did plenty of during covid — will have inflationary effects but it’s multi-step removed from price of goods.
tariffs literally raise the price of goods. that is the whole point f them, to make imports less attractive domestically by making them more expensive and this is done by increasing import prices of goods.
“ Are we living under communism where the state dictates a business should eat losses to shield government policy from criticism?”
Yep.
“ tariffs literally raise the price of goods. that is the whole point f them, to make imports less attractive domestically by making them more expensive and this is done by increasing import prices of goods.”
Yep.
price control is the same as rent control. Haha Whos the socialist now
Imo a good chunk of bidens inflation was from trumps policies before him. Trump set the policy of printing money during covid and half of it come under his watch biden continued the policy and produced the other half. Trump also raised tariffs during his first term which took time to adjust. Running into bidens term.
Ive been getting interesting reels from newsome where hes just throwing facts at the republicans. Im an independent and consider myself a political observer. Anyway interesting See if it works for him. .
About when prices controls worked ? WW2. Though the government went through requesting massive decline in the quality of goods in planned economy. This postponed the high inflation until 1946
Global War as a cure for high prices. Don’t sign me up
It’s also good for liquidating the unemployed.
It’s a fun game until you end up like the Tsar.
if you don’t include the black market. ask the butcher how many times he “sold” his dog to his customers
Walmart decreased prices but Amazon knows that Gen Z and Millennials at least those in NYC won’t shop at Walmart. Remember that this group also pays an average of $4000 a month every month in rent
Not that Simple
Walmart elected to lower prices on cheap stuff.
Rest assured they are making it up elsewhere
– Not that Simple, Walmart elected to lower prices on cheap stuff. Rest assured they are making it up elsewhere.
> Not what I read?
– The WSJ reviewed nearly 2,500 household items sold on Amazon between Jan. 20 and July 1 to track price changes, they found 1,200 of them had an increase. > Keyword: “January 1’st” When did Tariffs kick in and raise prices exactly? Hmm…
– The analysis found notable increases, on everyday essentials, such as deodorant, detergent and food products, saw at least a 5% increase. > Keyword: “Essentials” Perhaps they are trying to work up their base, to attack Trump for Them “Raising Prices” on essentials?
– Walmart cuts prices while Amazon faces tighter margins. > Being smart about it, Walmart has the advantage of Stores, while Amazon has to SHIP Everything.
– The data, provided by e-commerce analytics firm Traject Data, also showed that Walmart took the opposite approach, cutting prices on nearly identical products by around 2%. > Because Walmart can!
– The WSJ reports that Amazon struggles to make a profit on low-cost essentials, as shipping costs eat into its already narrow profit margins, according to Corey Thomas, a consultant who works with Amazon vendors. He noted that Walmart has more flexibility, as many online shoppers also make in-store purchases, which helps counteract the losses. > Nicely explained.
– The company warned the administration that the added import duties were likely to increase prices on basic goods. > Covered there tracks for this eventual increase due to their cost. Again Walmart doesn’t have this issue nearly as much. They buy BULK and literally “Store It” their back rooms are filled to the brim with inventory not even unpacked!!! I know, as I have unpacked and then put away 1000’s of items! It’s there business model and inventory systems.
– Trump responded in a post on Truth Social, criticizing Walmart and saying the company makes billions of dollars and should “eat the tariffs” rather than pass on added costs to its “valued customers.”
> Trump is right, and Walmart obliged, but decreasing everything by 2%! The profit margins are very small, so a 2% decrease is nothing to sneeze at… but again, Amazon doesn’t have this ability.
Buy real live food, not junk food. No trade deal with the Europeans until Trump
meets Xi in Oct. Long enough for a systemic change in their infantile brains.
once a dunce always a dunce.
There are some interesting, somewhat contrarian ideas in geopolitics, trade and economics introduced here, in a talk by Prof. Stephen Kotkin (author of greatest-ever monumental Stalin books, and Hoover Institution fellow at Stanford):
The world in flux and Trump’s role in a new equilibrium – Stephen Kotkin Lecture – Apr 25https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtgWytCmulg
The price increases are more than 2% , but somehow according to economists consumer spending is solid while Gen Z and Millennials continue to spend.
Somehow paying down a $25,000-$45,000 auto loan is never mentioned like a student loan of the same amount which has a much longer term and is unsecured
The real question is how sales hold up with these price increases due to the tax cuts and lower gas prices putting more money in consumer pockets
Gen Z out of college cannot find jobs. They and their parents invested $60K/$90K/Y to educate them, to set them for a safe secured life.
Yes and their parents still subsidize them and act as ‘guarantors’ on a Brooklyn NY apartment lease .
Hiring managers don’t want to hire them and who can blame them
New College Grads Not Working Out, Most Hiring Managers Say: Survey
Seventy percent of companies surveyed noted that some hires had to be placed on performance improvement plans.
By Mary Prenon
5/15/2025
Inappropriate attire, excessive use of cellphones, poor quality of work, and foul language are just a few of the reasons 65 percent of U.S. hiring managers gave for firing college graduates who had recently started their first job.
A Pollfish survey of 1,000 managers across America, reported by Resume.com, revealed the reasons that eight in 10 managers said newly hired college graduates did not work out during their first year on the job.
Excessive use of cellphones ranked as the top pet peeve of managers at 78 percent. Some 61 percent of managers found that their new hires were entitled or easily offended, while 57 percent noted that these new employees were unprepared for the workplace. Lack of a work ethic scored 54 percent, followed by poor communication skills at 48 percent and lack of technical skills at 27 percent.
Other concerns that managers had about the graduates included lateness, failure to turn in assignments on time, unprofessional behavior, and inappropriate dress and language. Seventy percent of companies surveyed noted that some hires had to be placed on performance improvement plans.
“Colleges don’t teach students how to behave in the workplace, and there is a lack of transitional support from both universities and employers,” Resume.org’s career coach Irina Pichura said in the report.
…
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/new-college-grads-not-working-out-most-hiring-managers-say-survey-5858473
I never associated that generation with foul language.
A lot of people, IMO, will find themselves wrong-footed in the next 5 years. I just try to hang onto my balance sheet and simplify, simplify. I teach a solid subject at a college that is extremely affordable, no $90k liabilities here. I’m wracking my brains to provide value for Fall, and soaking up much from the bright content and debates here!
I was surprised by the thoughtful quality of the comments on Mish’s blog…. I let a couple of years pass before it even occurred to me to check the comments, back in the day…. 😊 Your link above to Professor Kotkin’s lecture is an example of the extra value that can occasionally be found lurking below Mish’s excellent cut-through-the-BS blog…
If there were any Presidential administration that would screw around with government data to show the numbers they wanted, the Trump administration is certainly most likely to do so!
Have found Amazon go have consistently higher prices vs Walmart’s online. $20 more on some $150 items. Walmart has no shipping cost if the order is over $35. All my shopping turned to Walmart 6yrs ago.
This may be true, but it sounds like a wubbie for someone mad at amazon for doing the logical thing and passing on tariff costs. Walmart will most assuredly do the same. So at best Walmart will be cheaper than Amazon tomorrow, but more expensive than walmart is today.
Sure but which items get included in the ‘Basket’ of items used in the monthly CPI report .
And also this article is useless click bait because it links you to an article behind a paywall, and most of these items that are shown are hardly essentials except maybe for some bougey millennial living in Brooklyn
https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/walmart-news/cnbc-analysis-shows-walmart-prices-increased-as-much-as-51-following-tariffs/amp/
Yeah we debunked the CNBC nonsense here a few days ago. Headliner was a high end car seat price increase … that was nothing more than market repositioning, since the other car seats at Walmart had gone down in price on average.
… that’s not cnbc
Your kink literally refers to the CNBC analysis LOL
Not at all surprised and expect other firms to do the same.
Not much choice, outside of the cognitively dissonant mind of a MAGAt
Lauren told Jeff, stop being a little bitch, tell them to raise prices.
Yup, that 40-50 million dollar wedding cost didn’t pay for itself so definitely we all need to pay for it.