February 25, 2026
If businesses do have to give back tariffs to consumers, how much do you want to bet that they’ll hear from people offering to be Tariff Consultants or some such thing?
You know: “We’ll take care of figuring out how much you owe and guide you on how to distribute the refunds—for a small fee.”
I hope nobody falls for it.
February 24, 2026
Actually, if companies would check their records, they would know what dates they started passing the tariffs on to the consumers. They could say, "Bring in your receipts, and we'll refund the tariff."
Assuming that they got 100% of what they paid back.
That part is doubtful, but there are ways that they could provide some consumer refunds.
February 23, 2026
Tariffs are out, says the Supreme Court.
Businesses and some Democratic leaders are asking the government to refund the tariffs to the businesses; the Democratic leaders are suggesting (merely suggesting) that the businesses refund them to their customers.
We all know that it’s an impossible tangle, and that customers aren’t likely to see a dime, even if the businesses do.
However: In addition to President’s Day sales, Easter Sales, Memorial Day sales, etc., some savvy business owners may decide to hold a Tariff Refund Sale.
And if it were just the renaming of a previously scheduled sale, they wouldn’t lose an unscheduled dime. They would, however, make consumers feel like they were getting a bit of tariff relief passed on to them.
So, go get ’em, Business Owners. Start planning your feel-good strategies now.
(Actually, if companies would check their records, they would know what dates they started passing the tariffs on to the consumers. They could say, "Bring in your receipts, and we'll refund the tariff."
Assuming that they got 100% of what they paid back.
That part is doubtful, but there are ways that they could provide some consumer refunds.)
May 21, 2025
Walmart didn’t want to upset the Trump administration, so it cheerfully rolled back any DEI initiatives it had implemented in previous years. Whatever it takes to keep on the president’s good side, ya know.
But how far is the company willing to go to keep The Donald happy?
Only as far as its cash drawer, it seems. Now that tariffs are wreaking havoc on the company’s bottom line, it’s planning to raise prices. That, of course, will make consumers unhappy, and upset the administration’s dream of happy people enjoying a great big beautiful economy and praising Donald Trump.
Trump tells Walmart to hold the line and not raise prices.
Walmart says, effectively, “Sorry, Mr. President, this is business.”
Who’s gonna crack?
April 13, 2025
A little while ago, I speculated that having a large group of people chant, “Environmentalists for Trump” might flatter the president enough to make him grant some concessions (however short-lived) to the environmental cause.
When the tariff chaos took off, I thought that maybe, since it will probably cut down on spending, environmentalists might cheer about the decrease in wasteful manufacturing that will temporarily ensue as production costs rise.
Then I thought, “Well maybe that will be bad for the environment, as it will increase the desire for strip mining for rare earth minerals, which will definitely be an environmental loss.”
So many ways to go.
But today I read that some manufacturers are considering cutting down on packaging and, in some cases, replacing plastic with cardboard—definitely a win for the environmental cause.
Earth Day is April 22nd. Let’s see where the pendulum sits on that day.
April 22, 2025
No change.
