Famous American shopping chain Walmart has come out and said it has been able to mitigate many of the tariff costs so far, but that they are rising by the week and will continue to do so for the rest of the year.
Walmart is the world’s largest retailer.
They are trying to mitigate prices by putting things on discount where they can.
For instance, back-to-school products were cheaper in 2025 than 2025.
Its CEO has said that this is changing the shopping demographic: more higher-income shoppers are coming in for deals.
Dramatic shifts in shopping behavior haven’t been seen yet, said Walmart, because the shift has been gradual. In fact, Walmart’s sales in the U.S. grew 4.6% in the latest quarter.
But what has been noticed is a tendency to focus on smaller rather than larger purchases — which points to economic uncertainty, or, as it has been so diplomatically put “a dynamic environment”.
Indeed, for big corporations like Walmart, it is a dynamic environment: but it may be a death sentence for smaller businesses.
Romania, meanwhile, seems to coast along on the brink of a recession. Small businesses have already started to close up since Bolojan’s austerity measures have been implemented.
