Anne D’Hynenzio from Apsion Press Retail Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – Americans have another reason to celebrate this July 4th. Preliminary data from market research companies shows that pool parties cost less than they have in years.
In an Associated Press analysis, consumer data provider numerator said the total price for beach towels, drink coolers, bathing suits and other approvals for summer fun averaged $858 in June, with the monthly lowest since 2020 at $858.
Findings from the company’s seasonal snapshots show that US consumers so far show that President Donald Trump has not seen any significant impact from the intense application of tariffs on foreign goods.
The molecule tracks US retail prices through sales receipts, online account activities and other information from a panel of 200,000 shoppers. To see how summer prices are rising, the company looked at the average purchase prices for 16 seasonal items typically made in China.
In addition to four towels, a cooler for two adults and a bath suit and a swimsuit for toddlers, the hypothetical shopping list for the poolside gathering included a grill, four patio chairs, four cushions, a patio umbrella and four outdoor pillows. Recreational supplies included a cornhole set, two sets of swimming goggles, a set of diving rings, two beach balls, two pool floats or noodles.
Leo Feller, the chief economist of the Molecular Office, provided some theories as to why buying all of that stuff means an average cost of $966 and 8.4% less than in June 2024, 11% less than in 2023.
Wholesale suppliers and retailers ordering from Chinese manufacturers may have imported too many stocks while trying to go ahead with the high tariff bill, Fel said. He said these companies may have offered early discounts rather than leftover as lower consumer confidence measures pointed to potentially lower sales.
Given the widespread shaking in Trump’s trade stance towards China, retailers may have decided to absorb the initial tariff costs rather than try to grasp how much they want to charge business customers, Feller said. The tariff rate on Chinese goods surged to 145% in April before China and the US reached trading last month, bringing the overall rate down to 55%.
Suppliers are often working on six-month contracts signed in January or February and signed in June or July. That is, for example, many contracts for patio tables and chairs were signed before the White House includes metal furniture in aluminum or steel products and was subject to a 25% tariff, reaching 50% last month.
Customers who want to buy a new set of beach towels or replace an old cooler are advised to hold them down until August as prices drop at the end of summer. But waiting until next year may be expensive, he said if tariffs on products from China remain intact.
Just because backyard bash preparations may be relatively inexpensive now, many economists and retail analysts still hope that consumers will feel the weight of Trump’s favorite trade negotiation tool. According to Feler, shoppers could be priced higher at schools starting from July and August to August.
The time it takes for extra import taxes to reach stores could be similar to the disruption of the pandemic-induced supply chain that contributed to US inflation in 2021 and 2022.
“It wasn’t a sudden spike,” Feller said. “The prices for a few cards went up here, then there were a few more prices, a few others, a few more, and a few more, and then we started to speed up.”
Original issue: July 3, 2025, 8:29am EDT
