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Asian supermarket customers brace for price hikes as Trump tariffs take effect

Asian supermarket customers brace for price hikes as Trump tariffs take effect

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By TERRY TANG and KARENA PHAN, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Loyal customers of Asian supermarkets and other grocery stores that specialize in selling imported food heaved a collective sigh of dismay when President Donald Trump announced extra-high U.S. tariffs on goods from dozens of countries.

What would happen to prices at 99 Ranch Market and H Mart?, wondered Asian Americans and immigrants who shop at the two American chains for preferred brands like Japan’s Kewpie mayonnaise and China’s Pearl River light soy sauce.

General manager Sungrae Kim from the H Mart arranges electric... General manager Sungrae Kim from the H Mart arranges electric rice cookers imported from Korea in Niles, Ill., Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Boxes of dried anchovy imported from Korea are displayed at... Boxes of dried anchovy imported from Korea are displayed at the H Mart in Niles, Ill., Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Frozen shrimps are seen at the H Mart in Niles,... Frozen shrimps are seen at the H Mart in Niles, Ill., Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Imported bags of rice sit for sale at the Hiep... Imported bags of rice sit for sale at the Hiep Thai grocery store in Garland, Texas, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Chan ‘Bill’ Vuu, owner of Hiep Thai grocery store, walks... Chan ‘Bill’ Vuu, owner of Hiep Thai grocery store, walks past cashiers and customers at his family’s store in Garland, Texas, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Bags of rice imported from Vietnam are displayed at an... Bags of rice imported from Vietnam are displayed at an Asian grocery market in Rowland Heights, Calif., Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Bags of rice are stacked for sale at the Mitsuwa... Bags of rice are stacked for sale at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater, N.J., Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Pablo Salinas) Snacks are displayed on a “sale” counter at the Mitsuwa... Snacks are displayed on a “sale” counter at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater, N.J., Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Pablo Salinas) A Gashapon stand is seen at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in... A Gashapon stand is seen at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater, N.J., Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Pablo Salinas)

1 of 9 General manager Sungrae Kim from the H Mart arranges electric rice cookers imported from Korea in Niles, Ill., Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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“We’re all going to be crying in H Mart,” a TikTok user commiserated, referencing the title of a bestselling memoir by Korean American musician Michelle Zauner as other posters shared videos of their “pre-tariff hauls” from Asian supermarkets.

The steeper tariff rates Trump set for imports from nations he accused of unfair trade practices took effect first thing Wednesday along with a 10% baseline tax on products from the rest of the world. read more

Universal annual passholders can buy Epic preview tickets now

Universal annual passholders can buy Epic preview tickets now

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Universal Orlando annual passholders can now purchase one-day preview tickets to Epic Universe theme park, the resort revealed Tuesday.

The price of the ticket is not included with the pass.  Universal’s official website says the cost varies by date and starts at $118.15.  By early Tuesday afternoon, the available dates were selling for between $123 and $144, starting April 17 but with no availability between May 9 and the park’s opening date, May 22.

Annual passholders previously were able to buy a one-day ticket after Epic’s grand opening date. Currently, there are tickets available on most dates between June 1 and the end of 2025 (Labor Day weekend appears to be sold out). The price range is $119 to $170 for those tickets.

Epic Universe preview: An early walk (and rides) in the park

There has been a “high volume of requests,” the website says.

Guests staying at a Universal Orlando hotel, Universal Rewards Signature Visa Card members and active 2025 Military Freedom Pass ticket holders can also purchase the preview tickets. Other groups will be offered preview tickets “in the weeks ahead,” a Universal news release says. read more

US expected a big travel year, but overseas visitors — angered by Trump — are heading elsewhere

US expected a big travel year, but overseas visitors — angered by Trump — are heading elsewhere

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By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writer

Olja Ivanic looked forward to welcoming some cousins from Sweden to her Denver home in June. Ivanic and the four travelers were planning to go hiking in Colorado and then visit Los Angeles and San Francisco.

But then President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a February meeting at the White House. Ivanic’s four relatives immediately canceled their scheduled trip and decided to vacation in Europe instead.

“The way (Trump) treated a democratic president that’s in a war was beyond comprehensible to them,” said Ivanic, who is the U.S. CEO of Austria-based health startup Longevity Labs.

The U.S. tourism industry expected 2025 to be another good year in terms of foreign travelers. The number of international visitors to the United States jumped in 2024, and some forecasts predicted arrivals from abroad this year would reach pre-COVID levels.

But three months into the year, international arrivals are plummeting. Angered by Trumps’ tariffs and rhetoric, and alarmed by reports of tourists being arrested at the border, some citizens of other countries are staying away from the U.S. and choosing to travel elsewhere. read more

As China and the US spar, countries brainstorm over how to cope with the trade war

As China and the US spar, countries brainstorm over how to cope with the trade war

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By ELAINE KURTENBACH, Associated Press Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and China sparred over tariff hikes and other retaliatory moves on Tuesday, as governments elsewhere were brainstorming strategies to cope with the trade war between the global economic giants.

China said it will “fight to the end” and take countermeasures against the United States to safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports in retaliation for Beijing’s backlash against the 34% tariffs he ordered on his April 2 “Liberation Day.”

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, left, talks with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, left, talks with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati during an event called Economic Gathering with the President of the Republic of Indonesia, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

“The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake and once again exposes the blackmailing nature of the US. China will never accept this,” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement read on state-run broadcaster CCTV.

When asked about the possibility of talks between Washington and Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said “I think what the US has done doesn’t reflect a willingness for sincere dialogue. If the US really wants to engage in dialogue, it should adopt an attitude of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit.” read more

Trump says high tariffs may have prevented the Great Depression. History says different

Trump says high tariffs may have prevented the Great Depression. History says different

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By WILL WEISSERT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the early days of the Great Depression, Rep. Willis Hawley, a Republican from Oregon, and Utah Republican Sen. Reed Smoot thought they had landed on a way to protect American farmers and manufacturers from foreign competition: tariffs.

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President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in 1930, even as many economists warned that the levies would prompt retaliatory tariffs from other countries, which is precisely what happened. The U.S. economy plunged deeper into a devastating financial crisis that it would not pull out of until World War II. read more