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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Less selection, higher prices: How tariffs are shaping the holiday shopping season
Months of confusion over Advertisement The Advertisement The lack of clarity has been especially disruptive for the U.S. toy industry, The U.S. tariff rate may have The late start to factory work in China means holiday toys are In the retail world, planning for Christmas in July usually involves mapping out seasonal Advertisement Increasing his own prices that much might turn off customers, Smith said, so he explored ways to 'maintain a reasonable margin without raising prices beyond what consumers would accept.' He ordered a lower cost Crazy Forts building set so he would have the toy on hand and left out the kids' edition of the Anomia card game because he didn't think customers would pay what he would have to charge. 'In the end, I had to eliminate half of the products that I normally buy,' Smith said. Hilary Key, owner of The Toy Chest in Nashville, Indiana, said she tries to get new games and toys in early most years to see which ones she should stock up on for the winter holidays. This year, she abandoned her product testing for fear any delayed orders would incur high import taxes. Meanwhile, vendors of toys made in China and elsewhere bombarded Key with price increase notices. For example, Schylling, which makes Needoh, Care Bear collectibles and modern versions of nostalgic toys like All the price hikes are subject to change 'My concern is not that I'll have nothing, because I can bring in more books. I can bring in more gifts, or I can bring in just things that are manufactured in other places,' she said. 'But that doesn't mean I'm going to have the best stock for every developmental age, for every special need.' Advertisement The retail industry may have to keep taking a whack-a-mole approach to navigating the White House's latest tariff ultimatums and temporary reprieves. Last week, the president again reset the rates on imports from Brazil, The brief pause should extend the 'In my view, we're seeing a peak season push right now to bring in goods ahead of potentially higher tariffs later this summer,' Seroka said Monday. The pace of port activity so far this year reflects a 'tariff whipsaw effect' — imports slowing when tariffs kick in and rebounding Smith, who co-owns the two JaZams stores with his partner, Joanne Farrugia, said they started placing holiday orders two months earlier than usual for 'certain items that we felt were essential for us to have at particular pricing.' They doubled their warehouse space to store the stockpile. But some shoppers are trying to get ahead of higher prices just like businesses are, he said. He's noticed customers snapping up items that will Advertisement 'We're just trying to be as friendly as we can to the consumer and still have a product portfolio or profile that is gonna meet the needs of all of our various customers, which is getting more and more challenging by the day,' Smith said. Balsam Brands' Harman said he's had to resign himself to not having as robust a selection of ornaments and frosted trees to sell as in years' past. Soon, it will be too late to import meaningful additions to his range of products. 'Our purpose as a company is to create joy together, and we're going to do our very best to do that this year,' Harman said. 'We're just not going to have a bunch of the items that consumers want this year, and that's not a position we want to be in.'
Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Abandoned bungalow filled with dolls and teddies leaves explorers horrified
Two explorers discovered an abandoned bungalow in the woods packed to the brim with teddy bears and dolls, but were so freaked out, one labelled it 'one of the most uncomfortable places' Explorers are often looking for their next adventure, uncovering deserted buildings, walking through abandoned theme parks, or making their way to secluded sites forgotten in time. This can lead to some rather spooky discoveries, but nothing compares to the forgotten home packed full of teddies and dolls, as two explorers found out. Mitch Johnson and Jake Parr claimed they had heard about the home of a woman who had hoarded toys after her husband had passed away. After later dying herself, the property was said to have been left abandoned, and her collection of toys remained untouched. The explorers reportedly spent four days using Google Maps to find the bungalow. They drove six and a half hours from Manchester to Selkirk, Scotland, and then walked for around an hour through the woods to where the property was said to be located. Unsure of whether they were able to get inside the bungalow, as they vow to never break in, they found a panel of the back door was missing and they entered through a gap, reports Kennedy News and Media. Inside, they found every room covered in cobwebs and packed to the brim with teddy bears and soft toys for a chilling discovery. "This was the creepiest place I've ever been to. I just could not wait to get out. I even sacrificed some pictures because I just didn't want to be in there," Mitch said. He continued: "It was literally a 50 minute trek to the house it was that remote. We were going through all this pine forest and we were hearing all sorts of noises and branches were snapping everywhere. "It was just the most bizarre place I've ever been and I've been all around the world doing this." A video was shared of their discovery on Mitch's Facebook page, No Limits, and he believes the toys were a sense of comfort for the wife who lived there after her husband reportedly died during the 80s. Mitch shared: "There were some real collectables in there, some really rare dolls. There were like 200 or 300 Cabbage Patch Dolls. Some of them are a grand each. "All the Care Bear teddies, all the Monsters Inc teddies. All the teddies you could imagine. It was just like a plethora of teddies. It was just mental. "It was dusty as well when you were in there you could taste how damp the place was so I don't know how she lived in there. It was a little unnerving as well because I kept thinking at any moment someone's going to pop out here. "You can only just walk into the bedroom, the rest of it was just teddies so it's like six feet deep." In addition to the cuddly toys, the husband's workshop was said to also remain untouched, with tools left where they were once in use. "It was probably one of the most uncomfortable places I've ever been to if I'm honest because I wasn't quite sure if there was anyone in the teddies. It felt like anyone was going to jump out at any opportunity, " Mitch confessed. "I felt like I was being watched. I couldn't wait to get out of there, I really couldn't. I spent six and a half hours driving and then maybe an hour trekking to it and I just couldn't wait to get out of the place. "I even ended up going and sitting outside while my mate was still taking his pictures." He added: "I've been to asylums and loads of places around the world on my own and this was the most scary place I have ever been in and there was just a weird vibe about it that didn't sit right at all." Mitch, 40, has now accumulated an impressive following of 51,000 on his urban exploring Facebook page, which he started in 2018. He also runs a YouTube channel and an Instagram account. Reflecting on his adventures, he shared: "It can be a bit of an emotional burden because I see that much, it just makes you realise that life is extremely short and the things you accumulate mean absolutely nothing. It's your memories that mean something."
Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Khloe Kardashian criticised for claiming her kids planned lavish birthday bash
Reality star Khloe Kardashian enjoyed an early birthday surprise when, she claims, her seven-year-old daughter and two-year-old son planned a party for her 'on their own' Khloe Kardashian was left in a birthday daze when her young children threw her a Care Bear themed early birthday party. The 40-year-old reality star will become one year older on Friday - but already has significant plans this weekend. The Kardashians star is one of many guests that have flown to Italy ahead of the wedding of Amazon billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos, 61, and journalist Lauren Sánchez, 55. The happy couple will swap vows at a lavish ceremony in Venice - and Khloe is just one of the famous stars expected to be in the pews. Before flying out to Europe for the celebrations, Khloe enjoyed some festivities of her own courtesy of daughter True, seven, and son Tatum, two. The kids have been credited with throwing a party for their mother which was Care Bear themed - taking Khloe completely by surprise. Sharing details of the event, the mum-of-two wrote on social media: "True and Tatum threw me an early birthday pool Party today! True and Tatum Planned it all On their own with my incredible team. We love @carebears." And the message was backed up by her social media influencer pal Olivia Pierson, who shared a video clip of people in Care Bear costumes dancing. She captioned the short clip: "Care Bear early birthday for @KhloeKardashian planned by True & Tatum." But fans have refused to believe that a toddler and a child could organise such a lavish party without their millionaire mother knowing. Ridiculing the star, one fan wrote online: "Does she think people are dumb enough and believe that her young children did this 'by themselves'?" On Thursday, Khloe was papped in Venice along with her sister, Kim Kardashian - who was deep in animated conversation with a newly single Orlando Bloom. Stars have descended on the Italian city in preparation for Jeff and Lauren's upcoming wedding. The wedding is set to take place over the weekend of June 27 - with a string of celebrations around and leading up to the big day as famous friends arrive in the Italian city to celebrate. But not everyone in the area is happy about the nuptials. Furious locals have targeted the wedding to accuse Jeff of not paying enough taxes considering he is one of the richest men in the world. Demonstrations against the businessman have even led to a last minute change in wedding venue after it was previously cited to take place in Cannaregio - a popular and central nightlife area. Reuters reports: "For weeks some local residents and pressure groups have been complaining that the event will turn the scenic city of gondolas and palazzi into a private amusement park for the rich, and threatened peaceful blockades. "After the wedding ceremony, whose location and exact date remain secret, although it is expected to be between Thursday and Saturday, some 200-250 VIP guests from show business, politics and finance will now head to a hall of the Arsenale, a vast 14th-century complex in the eastern Castello district." Khloe is believed to be attending the wedding single as she has remained single following her disastrous romance with Tristan Thompson who she shared her children with - and who famously cheated on her during her first pregnancy. Discussing her single status in December last year, the fame hungry star told Bustle: "Dating has not been a focus for me, and I've been single for about three years and love it. But I'm not single and dating. I'm just single. I have such power and strength in that. I'm not lonely."
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Four years on, Yorkshire children reflect on the impact of Covid
The Covid pandemic hit the UK hard, but it was particularly challenging for young people whose childhoods were clouded by lockdowns, social distancing and 2021, a year after the UK's first pandemic lockdown, the BBC spoke to young people about how the experience had affected years on, they reflect on the impact of Covid on their lives. Ruari, 13 Ruari, from York - who was nine when he first spoke to the BBC - said the experience of the first lockdown being called was "really frightening".He said: "I was just a naïve little kid...I didn't really understand what was going on."While he struggled with not being able to see family and friends, Ruari said he had some fond memories of the time - including when he camped with his older brother in his family's back garden for 50 nights, raising around £1,500 for the RSPCA. "That was as a thank you because we got cats in lockdown, which was a really big highlight," he a Manchester United fan, said another highlight was watching a match with a friend in person the day after lockdowns were added: "It was the first person I'd seen other than my family for ages and ages, it was mental to see them."But a really good mental."Four years on, he said he believed the pandemic and everything that came with it had had an "irreversible" impact on society. "That's not something you just skip past," he added. Marnie, 10 Marnie, from Tollerton, used her time at home during the first lockdown to draw rainbows and post them through her neighbours' doors to help "make people happy". Four years on, she said she remembered the time as being "quite hard". "We did every lesson online, " she said. "It got quite lonely at times because I didn't see my friends, but we did go and post each other letters like once a month," she added. Being only six when she first spoke to the BBC, Marnie said that the time during lockdown "didn't feel real"."But I did realise there was this horrible disease going around," she said. Her favourite memory of the pandemic was when restrictions were lifted and she was first allowed to meet up with other people said: "When we first got back together it was my seventh birthday."She added: "I got a blue Care Bear, which I absolutely love, and we met up with some family friends and had a picnic at the park." Billy, 20 Billy, from Harrogate, was 16 during the first lockdown, meaning he experienced the added challenge of completing his GCSEs from home. "[By the third lockdown] it felt like we were going to be in and out of them forever," he said."I was terrified I'd never go back to school properly."But he said he enjoyed the freedom that studying remotely allowed him, taking up cycling in his extra spare time. "I could get all my work done a couple of weeks in advance and had a load of time," he said. "Then, of course, I got a really nice expensive road bike right as the lockdown ended and almost never used it."He went on to achieve top marks in his A levels before taking a gap year, and is now in the process of applying to join the Army. Billy said of the pandemic: "I definitely came out of it a lot different to how I got in.""We came out of it lucky because we didn't know anyone who passed from it or anything like that [so] I try to look on the bright side," he added. Emily, 13 During the first lockdown, Emily - from Norton-on-Derwent - helped her mum make about100 scrubs bags to donate to hospitals. She said of that time: "I think it helped me and other people to distract them and me from what was going on outside."Aged nine at the time, she said she struggled most during lockdowns with not being able to go to school where her friends were, and with "being out of the normal routine".About finally seeing her friends again she said: "I remember us all just running towards each other and then stopping because we were all in bubbles.""We were very glad to see each other anyway," she schooling was further affected after the pandemic when she got glandular fever, meaning she missed most of Year 7. Now back at school, she said she was enjoying being back into activities like swimming, and said she was looking forward to going back to doing said: "Me and my friends are spending a lot more time together, especially after lockdown."I don't think we actually realised how much we needed each other." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
