A person walks down the street with shopping bags on November 29, 2024 in New York City.
David Dee Delgado | Getty Images
US consumers’ wallets will be billions of dollars lighter this holiday season because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, reports say lending tree.
Sunday marked six months since President Trump announced sweeping “Emancipation Day” tariffs.
Following the announcement, prices of some food and consumer goods rose.
And consumers will see an even greater impact from these tariffs as holiday goods that have been sitting in warehouses for months are finally starting to appear in stores.
LendingTree, which operates an online lending marketplace, used 2024 winter holiday spending data as a reference point for its analysis of next season.
The company estimated that the new tariffs would increase total holiday costs for consumers and retailers by a total of $40.6 billion.
Consumers will bear most of the additional costs from the tariffs, estimated at $28.6 billion.
This equates to approximately $132 per shopper.
Retailers are expected to bear the remaining $12 billion in additional costs from tariffs.
“For most Americans, spending an extra $132 over the holidays is important,” said Matt Schultz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree.
“While it may not be earth-shaking, it could have a serious impact on many families. It could cause people to cut back on gifts or take on extra debt this year,” Schultz said.
“That’s a choice no one wants to make.”
Retail analysts told CNBC that retailers expect consumers to buy fewer items this holiday season because of higher costs from tariffs.
Schultz agreed, calling it an “unfortunate reality” that many consumers have to face.
“That may mean reducing the number of items you give as gifts, or it may mean having to absorb higher costs to give your loved one what they want,” Schulz said.
“I don’t think we’ll see a significant drop in the amount of electronics and clothing being gifted this year, because those are things that a lot of people want,” he said. “But for some people, the high price may not be an option.”
LendingTree estimates that buyers of holiday electronics will be hit hardest by the tariffs, costing each shopper an average of $186 more.
The next highest additional cost was clothing and accessories, at $82 per shopper.
As a result of the tariffs, buyers of personal care products, beauty products and toys will pay $14 more per shopper, and buyers of food and candy will pay $12 more per shopper.
