Slow End to February
Week four of February did not deviate from the norm, as independent grocers reported their same store sales were down 1.31 percent compared to the same week in 2017. Customer counts were down 2.79 percent. For the month of February, sales were down 1.39 percent and customer counts were down 0.64 percent.
President Trump has never been shy about his distaste of current trade agreements the United States is involved in. His trade policy became a little clearer when he announced that he would be imposing stiff tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the United States as a way to boost American jobs in those industries. On the flip side more expensive aluminum would affect the cost of goods like canned sodas and fruits and vegetables.
Mr. Trump has been especially critical of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which establishes trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico. These countries are two of the United States’ largest exporters of agricultural products, and any sort of trade war with them could lead to higher prices of goods on grocers’ shelves.
Thankfully, the Trump Administration has recently amended the tariff plan, saying that Canada and Mexico would be exempt – at least for now. Mr. Trump’s America First policy intends to help American workers and it’s important that folks like Independent Grocers have their voices heard when it comes to the affects his suggested policy changes could have on their business.