Ross Burkhart, a political science professor in the School of Public Service, shared expertise on tariffs as related to a newly revealed letter from Albertsons Grocery Store.
In the article, published for the Idaho Statesman, Burkhart discussed the consequences of the letter, which was sent from Albertsons Grocery Store to its suppliers, advising them to not pass on the cost of tariffs in their invoicing to the company; rather, the suppliers will need to absorb the costs themselves.
One consequence of this that Burkhart pointed out is that if Albertsons follows through with the statements outlined in the letter, then suppliers may be put in a difficult business position, and could face going out of business if the cost of the tariffs are too high. Additionally, Burkhart shared that consumers typically pay the price of tariffs, with fewer goods on store shelves and less competition amongst suppliers. He explained that market disruption can artificially raise the cost of doing business, and surmised that the global tariff phenomenon will likely soon affect pricing in grocery stores.