President Donald Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff for every U.S. trading partner, which will go into effect on April 5.
SAN ANTONIO — A local company selling office furniture is trying to stay ahead of the curve to keep costs down amid a new slate of tariffs announced in Washington.
“When we understood that tariffs were possible, we really ramped up our ability to buy to get a hold of used open box scratch and dent and close out furniture to try to get pre-tariff opportunities,” said Nan Palmero, marketing director for Office Furniture Liquidations.
President Donald Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff for every U.S. trading partner, which will go into effect on April 5.
Trump also announced reciprocal tariffs against the “worst offenders” set to become effective April 9, including Laos, Madagascar and Vietnam.
The latest ream of tariffs follows the White House’s implementation of separate duties on major trade partners such as Canada and Mexico.
“In light of the uncertainty, some (customers) will come in and maybe pickup an extra desk or extra chair as they look down the road and realize they may be hiring a few more people,” Palmero said.
Despite the political and economic climate, Palmero stressed is continuing to do what’s necessary to continue selling products at low prices.
“If we have tariffs that are implemented against countries that are making manufacturing new items or on the particular products, those are opportunities where we are working with our distributors who are moving factories as they need to,” Palmero said.
Meanwhile, Congressman Joaquin Castro has come out in opposition to the latest barrage of tariffs.
“Texans do not want a reckless tariff war. President Trump said he “couldn’t care less” about higher prices. But these tariffs will lead to the biggest tax increase on everyday Texans in decades, and Republican leaders are refusing to stand against it,” Castro said in a press release. “Texans will feel the adverse effects of this trade war in their jobs, taxes, and inflation on a daily basis. This is especially true for San Antonio.”