NRF: Retailers need certainty, clear communication on tariff policies
7/31/2025
By Bridget Dean, Associate Editor
The National Retail Federation (NRF) has a clear ask of the Trump administration: Clarity. Leading up to President Donald Trump’s election and inauguration, NRF business members have been pushing for more information on his trade policies. Now over six months into his presidency, retailers have even more questions.
Many retailers are stuck in a holding pattern while awaiting news on international trade deals, says Jon Gold, the NRF’s vice president for supply chain customers policy. Since the April 2 “Liberation Day” slate of tariffs were announced, the White House has made at least 70 tariff-related announcements and alterations. All those changes have made business planning nearly impossible, Gold says. Not only are all the changes difficult to track, but businesses are struggling to budget for the tariffs.
“The biggest concern from our members was just the fact that they’re the ones who [are] paying the tariffs,” says Gold. “They’re going to have to make the decisions on how to do mitigation.”
Retailers have differing strategies for staying in business at the moment. Some are able to strike deals of their own with suppliers overseas to share the cost of the tariffs and lower cost impacts on consumers. Others are switching suppliers to countries with lower tariffs, while some retailers rushed products in ahead of proposed tariff implementation dates. The changing trade deal deadlines and tariff rates are causing some companies to put a hold on their purchasing decisions.
The impact of tariffs is “indiscriminate,” Gold says; retailers of all types and sizes are struggling, from street vendors to big box retailers. For example, companies that sell clothing and textiles are worrying about having seasonally appropriate items in stock, he says.
Apparel runs on selling cycles based on holidays and seasons such as the back-to-school and Christmas seasons, but retailers are often planning orders months in advance. With no certainty about trade agreements between the United States and major clothing exporters like Vietnam, Cambodia and China, companies are left with little guidance for bringing in goods.
The last-minute announcements also cause chaos at U.S. Customs and Border Control, which needs time to implement system changes, Gold adds.
Official communication from the Trump administration has been lacking, he says. Retailers are unsure if there will be an extended deadline for countries to make trade deals with the United States or if tariff rates will increase for countries that don’t make deals before a certain date, Gold says. On top of that, tariffs on specific goods stack on top of blanket tariffs on exports from a country.
The lack of clarity may be an intentional tactic to bring countries to the negotiation table, Gold says. And while there may be countries in negotiation with the United States, businesses and consumers are kept in the dark about the status of negotiations.
As for what the NRF and its business members have been doing, it’s a lot of lobbying for change from government officials and educational outreach. As the association representing retailers, it's the organization’s role to educate others about what tariffs are and how they are harming businesses, Gold says. Especially small businesses, many of which have expressed concern to the NRF about staying in business, he adds.
“We’ve had hundreds of meetings with folks on the Hill as well as [with the] administration to educate about what’s going on, with the tariffs and the impacts,” Gold says. “[We] try to provide some certainty to our members and educate them on what’s going on and keep them up to date as best we can. Part of this is to push for that clarity on this trade policy.”
The NRF has published numerous statements and resources for businesses on their website, which can be found here.
