CA Holiday Shoppers Should Plan For High Prices And Fewer Products: Reports

CALIFORNIA — The Port of Los Angeles is booming this summer ahead of the holiday shopping season, but customers may notice a sparser selection as they hunt for gifts in the coming months, prompted by businesses attempting to navigate tariff uncertainty, according to reports.

The seaport saw 470,450 20-foot equivalent units of inbound cargo in June, up 10 percent compared to a year earlier, according to Reuters, and the busiest June in the port’s history, the Associated Press reported, adding July imports are also looking strong.

"We're seeing a peak season push right now to bring in goods ahead of potentially higher tariffs later this summer," port Executive Director Gene Seroka said, according to Reuters, which reported that Seroka noted a “tariff whipsaw effect.”

Some businesses are scaling back in advance of the holidays rather than risk a high tax bill or pricey unsold imports, according to the Associated Press, which reported shoppers should plan to pay more for many items.

“For us consumers, lower inventory levels, fewer selections and higher prices are likely as we head into the holidays,” Seroka told the Associated Press.

The toy industry faces particular uncertainty, as nearly 80 percent of its products come from China, the Associated Press reported, one of President Donald Trump’s biggest tariff targets in the spring. Manufacturing for smaller U.S. toy companies is down significantly year-over-year, according to the Associated Press.

It’s not just toys that are being affected. Yedi Housewares of Los Angeles, which supplies small kitchen appliances made in China to stores such as TJ Maxx and Ross Dress for Less has hiked prices about 10 percent, according to Reuters.