In June, Sen. Maggie Hassan sent public letters to grocery giants Costco, Walmart, Kroger, Dollar General, and Albertsons asking them to quantify the impact of President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

In a statement, Hassan wrote that while experts have pointed to the possibility of tariffs in general driving up prices, “grocery retailers themselves have provided little public information about the potential harms of steel and aluminum tariffs.”

Now the Democratic senator is looking for specifics, such as how exactly the tariffs could disrupt supply chains, raise costs, and impact jobs.

Coming up with clear answers to these questions could prove a challenge, however, as many retailers simply don’t have a firm grasp on how steel and aluminum imports—or other material inputs for that matter—fit into their cost structures.

“The challenge, especially on the derivative side, is trying to figure out what the value of the steel or aluminum in that finished product is,” Jonathan Gold, VP of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation, told Retail Brew.

Figuring this out requires working with vendors to dig into supply chains and figure out where inputs are coming from and what their value is, Gold explained.

However, those intermediaries are facing their own challenges from Trump’s trade policy, and what shakes out price-wise for the consumer could depend on what kinds of deals retailers and consumer brands work out behind the scenes.

Keep reading here.—AV

Tariffs are giving consumer demand a complete makeover, and it’s not exactly pretty. The summer of 2025 has changed how Americans shop, according to a recent July survey by Wunderkind, an AI-powered performance marketing platform. Tariffs and inflation are squeezing family budgets, and the pressure is forcing people to shop differently.

For instance, consumer spending during Prime Day and similar sales declined significantly in 2025, as just 28% of shoppers surveyed spent more during the event, while 39% spent less than previous years, Wunderkind reported.

Keep reading here.—VC

For hair accessories brand Emi Jay, the decision to branch into hair care 15 years after founder Julianne Goldmark first started the company in 2009 was calculated and thought out.

Instead of going the traditional hair care route with shampoo and conditioner, Emi Jay launched its hair care line in fall 2023 with a singular styling product, Angel Stick, and has slowly grown each year by introducing two to three new, but similar styling products. The expansion has been successful, giving Emi Jay, a brand beloved by both Gen Z and millennials, a new and growing revenue channel while boosting its existing ones.

Keep reading here on Revenue Brew.—LI