WITN: “Whether you’ve finished your Christmas shopping, are just getting started, or are somewhere in between, you may have noticed some higher prices.”

On the twelfth and final day of Whatley’s Christmas Costs, shoppers and retail stores in Eastern North Carolina are calling out policies cheered by Michael Whatley that are increasing prices and “having an impact on Christmas shopping.”

Michael Whatley has called the trade war “record setting in terms of […] effectiveness” and said he supports them “wholeheartedly.”

From a Western North Carolina toy store owner to a chocolate factory owner in the Triangle, to shoppers in Eastern North Carolina, working families across the state are feeling the impact of Whatley’s agenda that is driving up prices and “hurting North Carolina families, small businesses, and communities.”

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WITN: Tariffs impact holiday shopping in ENC

Hailey Hollinger | December 16, 2025

• Tariffs are having an impact on Christmas shopping experiences in downtown New Bern, according to businesses and shoppers.

• Whether you’ve finished your Christmas shopping, are just getting started, or are somewhere in between, you may have noticed some higher prices.

• “Some of our larger wooden pieces that would be our more expensive pieces, we did not order this year because that extra 10 to 20 percent makes a bigger difference on a higher-priced item,” [Heather Sinclair] told WITN.

• Sinclair isn’t the only one making changes. Because of higher prices from manufacturers and tariffs, Surf, Wind and Fire has also had to adjust what it keeps in the store.

• “So with the tariffs and everything, we’ve definitely had to buy less and keep less product in the store. With the prices rising and people are buying less just because it’s a big investment and it’s hard to decide what you need versus what you want,” Madison Lane, Surf, Wind and Fire retail associate, told WITN.

• The rising prices are influencing how much people buy, too.

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