Tariffs Will Hurt Small Businesses, Scare Customers Away, Says TV Store Owner

The Trade Act Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports that took effect Monday (see 1809240011) will cause “sticker shock” for consumers and harm small businesses, the owner of an independent electronics and appliance store told a free-trade event in Washington Tuesday. “We couldn’t be more discouraged by this ongoing trade war and what it means for our family owned company that has been in business for more than 70 years,” said Ron Romero, owner of Schaefer’s TV and Appliance in Lincoln, Nebraska, according to the National Retail Federation, which organized the Trade Builds America forum with several other groups. “We were only given a week’s notice in some cases to prepare for this latest tariff onslaught that couldn’t have come at a worse time as we approach the holiday shopping season,” NRF quoted Romero as saying. Most of the appliances Romero sells “are assembled by domestic manufacturers but rely on imported components that are being hit by tariffs,” he said. “It simply doesn’t make sense why Washington is making it more expensive to produce goods here in the United States. That will only mean higher costs for American families and small businesses like mine.”