"Bought Samsung Air Conditioner and LG TV for Home"… 'Sajaegi' Phenomenon Occurs in the US, What's Happening?

"Now Is the Cheapest Time... Buy Before Prices Rise"
After Companies, U.S. Consumers Also Rush to Stockpile Due to Trump's Tariffs
Stockpiling Imports to Avoid Tariffs
Price Increases Unavoidable Once Inventory Starts to Decrease

Shoppers in the United States. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

As U.S. President Donald Trump decided to impose high tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico, and China, a 'stockpiling' phenomenon is occurring among American companies and consumers. Anticipating a rise in import prices due to tariffs, they are preemptively stockpiling various goods.

Since Trump's election last November, inventory levels at major retailers like Walmart have sharply declined. This is due to Trump's consistent advocacy for imposing tariffs on imports. During his campaign, then-President-elect Trump pledged to impose tariffs of 10-20% on all imports and a 60% tariff on Chinese imports to revitalize domestic manufacturing and reduce the trade deficit. After winning the election, he threatened to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 100% tariff on BRICS member countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China if they challenged the dollar's dominance.

However, as Trump's 'tariff bomb' has become a reality rather than a threat, stockpiling has accelerated. According to CNBC on the 2nd, many companies across various industries?including retailer Walmart, sports brand Columbia, and electronics manufacturer Lenovo?are securing inventory. As a result, warehouses are filling up with pre-stocked items such as solar panels and lithium batteries.

"Now is the cheapest time... Buy before prices rise due to tariffs"

Donald Trump, President of the United States.

The Wall Street Journal reported an interview with a software company employee who said they spent more than $12,000 (about 17.59 million KRW) on the latest home appliances such as Samsung air conditioners, LG TVs, and Miele vacuum cleaners since the election. Retailers are also effectively encouraging stockpiling by saying, "Now is the cheapest time, so buy before prices rise due to tariffs." In fact, if tariffs are implemented as scheduled on the 4th, those who started stockpiling early months ago are expected to benefit.

However, there are also forecasts that the longer the tariff increase phase lasts, the greater the burden will be not only on consumers but on the overall U.S. economy. CNBC analyzed that "the warehouse storage costs for companies stockpiling inventory will inevitably be passed on to consumer prices." ABC reported, "Many companies anticipated Trump's actions and stockpiled imports to avoid tariffs," adding, "Once inventory starts to decrease, price increases for consumers are inevitable." Investment bank ING also predicted that the universal tariff measures by the Trump administration will result in greater losses than gains for the American people. Bloomberg reported that in the worst case, each American could suffer an economic loss of $835 (about 1.23 million KRW).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.