I Tracked Costco Prices Before and After Trump’s Tariffs — The Changes Surprised Me

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When Trump’s tariffs started rolling out they were expected to have an impact on the cost of everything from cars to groceries. Tariffs started in April, but not all products saw price changes right away. How quickly prices rose often depended on where the items came from and how they were shipped.

Back in June, Talia Lakritz, for Business Insider, compared the prices of 23 grocery items at Costco to prices from before the tariffs took effect in April. Only a few had gone up, some had dropped, but most stayed the same. At the time, even though tariffs had already started, with more scheduled for July, the overall impact on prices at Costco looked small.

Fast forward to now, and more tariffs have taken effect. Costco is even suing the federal government for tariff refunds on Chinese imports, according to CNN Business. That raises the question: have grocery prices finally caught up with the tariffs? Checking a few of the same items online shows the answer is yes, for some items, and in ways that might surprise regular shoppers.

Tomato Medley

• April price: $7.99
• June price: $7.99
• December price: $10.20

A 2-pound gourmet tomato medley stayed the same price from April to June, but by December its price clearly reflects import pressure.

Grapes

• April price: $7.49
• June price: $7.99
• December price: $9.07

Lakritz bought 3 pounds of U.S. grown red grapes in June for just $0.50 more than the Chilean purple grapes in April. December now has a similar 3-pound pack at $9.07.

Roasted Seaweed

• April price: $10.99
• June price: $11.99
• December price: $13.15

Kirkland’s South Korea sourced roasted seaweed went up a dollar by June. The closest match today, Gimme seaweed of the same weight and origin, is $13.15.

Kind Bars

• April price: $19.99
• June price: $17.69
• December price: $20.08

U.S.-made Kind bars dropped $2.30 between April and June. The price in December is even higher than before the tariffs, showing that even domestically produced products are feeling the pressure, likely from broader costs stacked on top of tariffs.

Kirkland Lemonade

• April price: $6.29
• June price: $6.39
• December price: $7.25

Two 3-quart bottles of Kirkland organic lemonade rose a negligible $0.10 in June, and is even higher now. Lakritz suggested that the lemons used to make it could come from a country hit by tariffs.

What The Current Prices Mean

Although it was only a few items, the early summer snapshot suggested tariffs hadn’t affected grocery bills too much. But the story is starting to look different, with some items that seemed steady having increased in price, and many imported goods clearly reflecting tariffs. Other staples like lemonade and snack bars show that general inflation and supply costs are also adding to price increases.

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), tariffs raised U.S. inflation by 0.7 percentage points between March and August, which matches what shoppers are seeing in these Costco staples. Keeping an eye on weekly flyers, store apps and online prices can help spot where costs are rising the fastest. Even at Costco, the price of everyday staples is no longer flat.

Editor’s note: Prices are accurate as of Dec. 15, 2025. Prices and availability may vary by location.

Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.

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