As Mother’s Day nears, shoppers may notice higher prices on popular gifts. Local business owners say tariffs imposed under former President Donald Trump are partly to blame.
Julio and Cinthya Barocio run the Outlet Store in Boyle Heights. They’ve been in business for five years, selling discounted goods from major retailers like Target and Walmart. These items are usually returns, discontinued products, or out-of-season stock. But the couple says their prices are rising because their own costs have gone up.
“If we’re paying more, we have to charge more,” said Julio Barocio.
Retailers like Target and Walmart are also feeling the impact. When tariffs hit or products become hard to find, even discount shops like the Barocios’ are affected.
“It’s like a domino effect,” said Cinthya. “Where you used to see something for $50 or $60, now it’s $70, $75, even $80. We’ve already seen that happen.”
Flower arrangements, another popular gift for Mother’s Day, are also seeing price hikes. That’s because many of the supplies come from outside the U.S.
“It’s like a chain,” said Saul Jimenez, a flower wholesaler at the California Flower Mart in downtown Los Angeles.
Jimenez gets many of his flowers from Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico—countries affected by tariffs. He also buys items like ribbons, greeting cards, and wrapping materials from China, which adds to his costs.Some small business owners, however, are choosing not to raise their prices.
David Rodriguez owns Pamela’s Flower Shop in Norwalk. He says he’s absorbing the cost increases to keep his customers.“We don’t raise prices. If I do, people won’t buy. If they don’t buy, I’m in trouble. This is my job. It’s how I pay my bills,” Rodriguez said.Rodriguez says the flowers he buys, especially roses from Ecuador, now cost 10% to 15% more. He’s also had a hard time getting stuffed animals because his supplier is unsure about future shipments.
Some customers are still managing to find deals by shopping early and in bulk.“I always go downtown to buy flowers,” said Steve Borna. “The more you buy, the cheaper it is. The prices are almost the same as last time.”Vendors are encouraging early shopping to avoid last-minute price increases.
