Who gets hit hardest when tariff bullets ricochet between the USA and China? It’s not the billionaires playing geopolitical chess, but the folks just trying to buy a pack of batteries and a can of beans at the local dollar store.
With Trump’s latest tariff tirade, every Chinese-made item heading to the U.S. could be slapped with a jaw-dropping 145% duty. That’s not just on fancy electronics or high-end imports. We’re talking about the humble shelves of Dollar Tree and Dollar General—the lifeline for millions of low-income Americans.
Plastic cups, kitchen towels, soap, toys, cheap snacks, party decorations—these are the essentials imported from China and piled into baskets by Americans counting every dime. For them, the dollar store is more than a bargain bin—it’s survival shopping.
So, let’s do the math:
If a customer currently spends $20 at the dollar store, a 145% tariff means they’ll cough up $29 more.
That’s $49 total for the same handful of basic, no-frills goods.
Where does that extra $29 go? Right into the government’s MAGA piggy bank. In the name of making America “great again,” it’s the already struggling Americans who’ll be digging deeper into their pockets.
In this economic shootout, it’s not China that bleeds first—it’s the customer in aisle four looking for a tweezer or Tiger Balm.
By Promod Puri
Promod Puri.com 