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This holiday season, business owners and retail leaders from across the country shared firsthand how tariffs are impacting their operations, raising costs and hurting American families.

The Trump administration’s across-the-board tariffs are raising prices for consumers, increasing costs, and forcing small businesses to make difficult choices about their future, according to Tariffs Cost US. Since April, the administration has imposed across-the-board tariffs of 10%–50% on nearly all imports, with higher rates for dozens of countries and industries. The average tariff rate now tops 16.8%, the highest since 1935.

In addition to the added costs from the tariffs, the constant changes in tariff rates and trade policy is creating intense disruption and economic uncertainty for business owners across industries.

“Tariffs have been really impacting my business,” said Rachel Lutz, owner of The Peacock Room. “I think that’s really been affecting the number of people walking in our door, the people spending money, and how much they’re spending during the holiday season.”

“It’s the unpredictability, it’s the chaotic nature of them, businesses need to plan ahead, 3 months, 6 months, a year ahead,” said Lutz. “When I do my buying, I’m typically buying 6 months out for a lot of the apparel that I buy… and I can’t plan 6 months ahead if I don’t know what’s happening in the next 2 weeks with the prices of what I’m buying. That’s made it very difficult for businesses to plan.”

“As a toy store, the holidays are our biggest quarter,” said Thea Brown, owner of World of Mirth. “The last two weeks before Christmas, depending on when Hanukkah falls, we can do about 40% of our business in those two weeks. So not having the merchandise … can close your business down. We just don’t have the infrastructure as a country to make these toys. And a lot of people aren’t willing to pay the prices for the American-made toys that we do have.”

“One negative factor that’s really hitting both consumers and retailers is the impact of tariffs, which are raising costs at every step of the supply chain and showing up in the price of goods that families are shopping for right now,” said Andrew Beardslee, vice president of government affairs, Michigan Retailers Association. “Tariffs remove predictability from the supply chain. When you take that predictability away, you’re taking stability away, and Michigan’s retailers need both to survive and be successful.”

“I’m grateful to still be in business, and looking for a better way to be able to service our customers, especially as we go into the holiday season and endure some of the impact [of tariffs] with shipping challenges,” said Trinita Rhodes, owner of Beauty Supply Refresh. “A new wig that may have cost $150 has ballooned up to about $300 for the customer.”