By Sarah Nassauer, Shane Shifflett and Sebastian Herrera

To keep prices low on phone chargers, towels and blenders in the face of rising tariffs, America's largest retailers are trying everything.

They are pressuring their suppliers to absorb cost increases and dropping free perks from corporate offices. They have paused some shipments of goods from China and are leaning on inventory that has already been imported to the U.S.

So far, most prices have held steady overall. The average price of some 10,000 everyday household products sold online by Walmart, Target and Amazon is effectively flat since April 2, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data harvested by e-commerce-data firm Traject Data. Prices at the retailers are generally down since January, the data show.

But the chief executives of Walmart, Target and Home Depot met with President Trump last week, with a strong message: The status quo can't last forever.

They warned Trump that higher prices would be difficult to avoid and said certain products could become scarce if retailers decide not to sell them to avoid tariff costs. They also assured the president that they would work to keep product prices as low as possible for as long as possible, according to people familiar with the meeting.

Their success so far has come in part because of efforts retailers and their suppliers took to import more items ahead of some tariff increases.

Midwest Trading Group & TYLT, a seller of small consumer electronics to retailers, recently pulled forward imports from Vietnam to fulfill expected 2025 orders from clients such as CVS, said CEO Steve Adolph. That is because earlier this month Trump announced a 90-day pause on so-called reciprocal tariffs that would affect Vietnamese imports.

The early purchases have added upfront costs, but the company thinks items such as phone-charging cords and small speakers will be in demand at existing prices, Adolph said. The arrangement is favorable to retailers who don't have to hold the inventory or pay up front.

Walmart, Amazon and Target have also asked their suppliers to shoulder more of the tariff cost burden, but that tactic can't make up the full additional cost of tariffs, especially in China, say manufacturers and retailers.

At Amazon, independent merchants make up more than 60% of its sales, with a large percentage of goods coming from China. Amazon has algorithms in place that penalize sellers if they raise their costs too much or sell something above the price found elsewhere.

Some sellers have tested raising prices by as much as 30% to see how much of an increase they can make before Amazon's systems will downgrade their listings, according to Brandon Fuhrmann, an Amazon merchant who sells kitchen products. When that occurs, they lower their prices, he said. Many sellers have tested smaller increments of about 5%, he said.

Prices for some household goods rose by small increments in April, including items costing $50 or less, as well as for chargers, Bluetooth speakers and other electronics from certain brands, the Journal's analysis shows. Broadly, prices for consumer goods have yet to increase. Fuhrmann said many tariff-affected shipments still haven't come through ports.

Walmart is doing what it can to keep prices low, including problem-solving with suppliers, said a Walmart spokeswoman. "It's not 'us' versus 'them,'" she said, and "a lot is in flux."

"There will be cases where prices have to go up," she said. Amazon said it hasn't seen average selling prices of products change considerably. Target declined to comment.

The Trump administration says it plans to negotiate with many countries regarding tariff policy, including over so-called reciprocal tariffs announced earlier this month. It paused the implementation of some of those tariffs on countries such as Vietnam until July. New tariffs on some commodities such as steel and aluminum are already in place. Current tariffs on Chinese goods are around 145%, but the administration has signaled it is looking to strike a deal with Beijing to scale back those duties.

Walmart has paused some winter holiday orders from Chinese manufacturers, according to people familiar with the situation. Earlier this month, Target paused shipment of goods that it buys directly from manufacturers in China, according to people who are aware of its shipments. The pause has bought them time.

Amazon canceled some vendor orders from China after tariffs were announced. The Journal's analysis shows the percentage of in-stock items dropped by about 4 percentage points after Trump's tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect in early March. Inventories didn't bounce back after those tariffs were paused a couple of days later. The number of ships sailing from China to the U.S. filled with goods is plunging amid cancellations, according to firms that track shipments and U.S. port officials.

Some cost-cutting measures are in full effect. Last week, Walmart told staff of its Hoboken, N.J., office that free plates, bowls and cups would no longer be available in the office, according to people familiar with the situation. A memo sent to staff encouraged employees to bring their own.

Retailers also plan to lean on their nonproduct businesses to delay the need to increase prices. Amazon asked some vendors it purchases products from directly to send an email confirming their advertisement commitments for this year, according to consultant Martin Heubel, who works with suppliers. Amazon made about $56 billion in advertising revenue in 2024, mostly from sellers who place ads on its website.

Last fall Walmart asked many suppliers to increase their advertising spending with the retailer by around 25% this year compared with the previous year, according to people familiar with the situation. Walmart's ad sales grew about 27% last year to $4.4 billion. "There is no doubt that advertising will be a lever that major retailers will lean on" to manage tariffs, said Jordan Berke, chief executive of consulting firm Tomorrow and a former Walmart executive.

Write to Sarah Nassauer at Sarah.Nassauer@wsj.com, Shane Shifflett at shane.shifflett@dowjones.com and Sebastian Herrera at sebastian.herrera@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 29, 2025 05:30 ET (09:30 GMT)

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