Small business owners together with students experience increased financial burdens from higher prices of imported products across different local communities because of newly imposed tariffs.High school student Michelle Zazon who operates a retail clothing store under her kin mentioned how things became more challenging since the introduction of new trade tariffs.
Affordable inventory stockage has proven to be much more difficult since these new policies came into effect. The values of wholesale items rose significantly with shoes and backpacks being the most affected import products.
She described how her family experienced two options to handle higher costs: increase prices or decrease inventory and this affected the availability of affordable daily goods.
Small businesses including hers remain in a difficult position to maintain their market position because imported merchandise continues to increase in price.
The tariffs which started as a job protection method for industries caused prices of essential daily school needs to rise beyond affordable levels for student consumers.
High school students who come from disadvantaged homes face greater obstacles to education because the increased prices for school essentials including laptops and calculators along with backpacks create extra financial challenges.
The new pricing trends emerged after April 2025 tariffs went into effect and expanded their influence throughout major education periods which caused heavier financial responsibility for parents and students.Higher costs create two major issues because they push families into budgetary strain while preventing students from obtaining essential tools needed for their education.
The rising costs from tariffs create serious affordability issues for students along with their families to get essential educational tools and daily necessities because global economic regulations directly impact domestic communities.