# Are we (in the US) going to end up with empty shelves and much higher prices in May? What should we do to prepare **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [April 26, 2025, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518 "2025-04-26T01:37:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2025, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/101 "2025-05-04T06:41:31Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > but it happens a lot. Throughout history, when ever and why ever a geopolitical line is drawn with a price differential, people have attempted and found ways to subvert it’s intention. Devious 'lil buggers aren’t we! ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2025, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/102 "2025-05-04T22:16:13Z")
This Financial Times article (maybe paywalled?) talks about organizations in China offering “origin washing” services through Malaysia and other countries. > Chinese social media platforms are awash with adverts offering “place-of-origin washing”, while an inflow of goods from China has raised alarm in neighbouring countries wary of becoming staging posts for trade actually destined for the US. > […] > But adverts on social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu offer to help exporters ship goods to countries such as Malaysia, where they will be issued with a new certificate of origin and then sent to the US. > > “The US has imposed tariffs on Chinese products? Transit through Malaysia to ‘transform’ into Southeast Asian goods!” said one advert posted this week on Xiaohongshu by an account under the name of “Ruby — Third Country Transshipment”. > > “The US has set limits on Chinese wooden flooring and tableware? ‘Wash the origin’ in Malaysia for smooth customs clearance!” it added. A person contacted through the details supplied in the advert declined to comment further. > **[Chinese exporters ‘wash’ products in third countries to avoid Donald Trump’s...](https://www.ft.com/content/147fddbb-7031-4347-9251-4425614e138d?accessToken=zwAGNFbWH4Zwkc8Uf927cDFDR9OSUUQlYU4TjQ.MEQCIBZ9fRWZaG9DpWILVPE41ewMiMa9ipv1hUSlXpgATQ_wAiBJdA7lsQNBf77hsax5TPxGgGD8084sDs8w-a0tAbzT5A&sharetype=gift&token=fa21b7e0-739a-479a-9606-06a127bf8512)** > > Asian neighbours wary of becoming staging posts for trade actually destined for US ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/103 "2025-05-06T00:25:53Z")
I’ll share what I think was my most difficult job. Framing houses, in the winter in Denver. - Start the morning by shoveling out the snow off of the first floor deck so you can start to put in joists for the second floor. - Carry all the material up there. I managed to be able to do two 3/4" sheets of plywood at a time. I was a lot younger. But that’s what you did. - We didn’t have air guns. 22oz rigging axes where the choice. Somebody good, could drive a 16 penny nail in two swings (I never got that good). Vaughn was the hammer of choice. The wood was frozen (as we where). - Really couldn’t wear gloves fingering those nails. So, your hands freeze. - First thing you did in the morning was to start up those worm drive saws to warm up the oil in the gear box. Then lunch. Any place warm to eat. Then back at it, which was… difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/104 "2025-05-06T02:50:43Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I guess my point is that even though there will be shortages, I don’t think we are going to starve. There should be enough domestically produced calories from staple crops to prevent people from starving or going hungry. > > However we will have fewer dietary options as things like fruits and vegetables get harder to find. Yes, there won’t be mass starvation any time soon. What will happen is that your menus either become more expensive, or more bland and less varied. Rice, corn and bread for every meal will get tiresome. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/105 "2025-05-06T02:58:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Family farms dont grow soy, corn (except sweet corn) or cotton- those are mass factory farms. Most family farms now sell locally etc. I suppose it depends on what you call a family farm but I know 3 farmers that have soy beans, corn, and cotton. None of them are owned by corporations. They each farm a few thousand acres. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/106 "2025-05-06T03:06:41Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > > > I guess my point is that even though there will be shortages, I don’t think we are going to starve. There should be enough domestically produced calories from staple crops to prevent people from starving or going hungry. > > > > However we will have fewer dietary options as things like fruits and vegetables get harder to find. > > Yes, there won’t be mass starvation any time soon. What will happen is that your menus either become more expensive, or more bland and less varied. Rice, corn and bread for every meal will get tiresome. Yeah, we’re going to lose a lot of things. We won’t starve but it’ll suck. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/107 "2025-05-06T06:53:15Z")
For some time I’ve been checking (as I imagine most of you have) which of my family’s indispensables come from outside the country. Since my family probably accounts for 75% of our state’s Band-Aid consumption (and klutz Dad accounts for 99% of that) I was horrified today to find a tiny, “Made in China” on the box. Really? Never expected that. I have now stocked up on that item too. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/108 "2025-05-06T07:08:59Z")
My girls are talking about the price of tampons being the big tell on prices. I say everything in that department will go to a higher price point. Buy 'em now ladies. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/109 "2025-05-06T07:11:20Z")
There’s no way to mention this without potentially exacerbating the exact problem I want to mention, but one thing to be aware of is that even if supply exceeds _actual_ demand, panic about shortages can itself cause shortages; here in the UK we had a series of ‘empty shelf’ panics caused by relatively minor supply chain wobbles induced by covid and/or Brexit. At no point was there a genuine, dire shortage of food, fuel or toilet paper, but the discussion, kindled by worried reports in the media, about how _there might be_ shortages, sometime, caused people to rush out and panic-buy and stockpile certain commodities, then news reports about how people were panic-buying _and there might not be any left for the rest of you_ just fanned the flames and made the problem worse. It gradually came back under control, because there wasn’t any actual shortage and people only had a limited amount of space for stockpiling and also, supermarkets imposed rationing on certain ‘hot’ items like pasta, tomatoes and toilet paper. But it was not a comfortable thing to live through. A lot of the stockpiled stuff probably went to waste. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/110 "2025-05-06T07:28:22Z")
Paper products will last a long time. I see no problem with that going bad. But folks be mindful of others. Take an extra pack of something, but not all of it. I hate hoarding… and I have a hoarding bone. I want to have it all. I struggle with it. I ended up giving stuff my family (not me) hoarded when Covid started happening to shelters that would take it. I hoarded one thing during the pandemic, hand sanitizer. I still use it daily. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/111 "2025-05-06T08:09:59Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > one thing to be aware of is that even if supply exceeds _actual_ demand, panic about shortages can itself cause shortages Right now we’re seeing a weird macroeconomic effect caused by this. The economy in the US is driven by consumption, and people have increased their consumption ahead of tariff related inflation. Much of it is completely rational. If you planned to buy a new car in the next year, better now than when the tariffs hit. That caused a surge in April car sales. Spread this across many durable and soft goods. So instead of panic buying causing shortages, we have fear of a bad economy causing a good economy. It won’t last, and nobody with any sense thinks that it will. Economic indicators are in a weird place, with consumer spending up, and consumer sentiment down. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/112 "2025-05-06T19:48:11Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I suppose it depends on what you call a family farm but I know 3 farmers that have soy beans, corn, and cotton. Sweet or Dent corn? > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Yeah, we’re going to lose a lot of things. We won’t starve but it’ll suck. Naw- toys, electronics, and clothing- sure. But food? The USA only imports about 15% of it’s food, and that mostly from the Americas. And the tariffs on Mexico- for example- generally do not apply to food. It is hard to tell about Canada- if the goods comply with the USMC]((Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement) rules of origin- no tariffs. But even so, food from Canada would only face a 10% tariff. > [@Nyvaak](#): > > Since my family probably accounts for 75% of our state’s Band-Aid consumption (and klutz Dad accounts for 99% of that) I was horrified today to find a tiny, “Made in China” on the box. Really? Band Aid brand are mostly made in China, but others, such as Care Science are made in the USA, > [@Mangetout](#): > > …here in the UK we had a series of ‘empty shelf’ panics caused by relatively minor supply chain wobbles induced by covid and/or Brexit. > > At no point was there a genuine, dire shortage of food, fuel or toilet paper, but the discussion, kindled by worried reports in the media, about how _there might be_ shortages, sometime, caused people to rush out and panic-buy and stockpile certain commodities, then news reports about how people were panic-buying _and there might_ The UK imports some 45% of it’s food, but as you said- no mass shortages occurred- and compare with the USA 15%. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/113 "2025-05-06T20:08:54Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The UK imports some 45% of it’s food, but as you said- no mass shortages occurred- and compare with the USA 15%. The direct impact of food shortage should be less, but it’s not just the supply of toys that are going to be disrupted - there are probably items of and parts for production machinery and other stuff like that, which could have an indirect impact on food production and distribution. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/114 "2025-05-06T20:11:12Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The direct impact of food shortage should be less, but it’s not just the supply of toys that are going to be disrupted - there are probably items of and parts for production machinery and other stuff like that, which could have an indirect impact on food production and distribution. Maybe. That will be pretty long term. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/115 "2025-05-06T20:14:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > > > I suppose it depends on what you call a family farm but I know 3 farmers that have soy beans, corn, and cotton. > > Sweet or Dent corn? I’ve always heard them refer to it as field corn, which google tells me is the same thing as dent corn. Sometimes they’ll plant the outer ring or 2 with sweet corn for their own personal use. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/116 "2025-05-06T20:24:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Sweet or Dent corn? Ninja’ed by @Nars_Glinley. I also have never heard of Dent corn, but virtually every corn field you see across this country is, well, field corn. And Google tells me that 99% of the corn grown in this country is field corn, which is grown almost exclusively for animal feed. About 10 to 20% of the field corn is exported, but every farmer sells his crop ‘locally’, to the nearest grain cooperative or similar organization. No farmer, to the bet of my knowledge, directly exports his own corn. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/117 "2025-05-07T00:11:01Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > And Google tells me that 99% of the corn grown in this country is field corn, which is grown almost exclusively for animal feed. And making corn oil, and export (animal feed most likely) and alcohol for gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/118 "2025-05-07T01:21:12Z")
… and HFCS ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/119 "2025-05-07T19:46:44Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > and HFCS Good point, a lot of field or dent corn is used in making a type of sugar like substance. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518/120 "2025-05-08T02:08:03Z")
First world problems, but wholesalers of air shipped fresh fish to sushi restaurants have already been hit with 25% tariffs, and it’s feeding thru to the menu prices. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-in-the-us-going-to-end-up-with-empty-shelves-and-much-higher-prices-in-may-what-should-we-do-to-prepare/1017518.md?page=7)