Consumers are growing increasingly concerned about the upcoming holiday season. A new poll has revealed that six in 10 people are worried that tariffs will cause higher prices. Conducted by Coresight Research, the survey asked consumers what action they would take if prices increased. Of the 1,784 people who were polled, 22.5% said they would decrease spending to account for the tariffs, while 22% claimed they would go bargain hunting at less expensive stores.

"We think our survey results should sound alarm bells for retailers looking to pass on cost increases even if those come after the holidays: A majority of shoppers are unwilling to accept price hikes and will look to trade down in volume, by retailer, or by product"

"Then Trump thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" - Dr. Suess in an alternate universe.

Trump recently made news when he pushed back the date to begin taxing imports from September 1st to December 15th. It was an effort to "save Christmas," but many fear that retailers will still raise prices in anticipation of higher costs. Most shoppers said that they would not spend more money to make up for increased prices. Coresight's research suggests that Trump's tariffs could translate to less presents under the tree and more work for parents during the already busy holiday season as they search for the best coupons and deals.

Between expectations of tariffs and increased online spending at Amazon and other big-box retailers, many offline stores are expected to face a tough holiday season. Numerous mall-focused brands like Gap, American Eagle, and Fossil are struggling to drive sales to their stores, and current trends are expected to continue. Donald Trump cant be blamed for Amazon's impact on mall retailers, but tariffs won't help them either.

Maybe we're missing something. Maybe Trump is trying to teach us all an important lesson that Christmas shouldn't be so much about materialism. Maybe he wants us to remember that it's the ones we love that matter, and not how many presents are under the tree. Maybe, but probably not.