Floyd’s Appliance Centre in Hampton, N.B., has been serving people in the rural community since 1946. Inside the storefront on Main Street home owners can find all the appliances they need for their home – refrigerators, stove tops, washing machines for both dishes and clothes, as well as other big electronics commonly find in the average Canadian home. The locally owned storefront does their best to keep prices affordable for customers, but not everything is in their control. “We definitely believe in rolling with what’s thrown at us,” says Rebekha Bradley, Floyd’s sales and social media manager. “Appliances are a necessity. People are going to come buy them if they need them.” What Bradley is referring too is the price increase that is expected on the American made appliances in her store beginning on Tuesday. That’s when Canada is set to slap retaliatory tariffs on over $27 billion of U.S. goods as a result of the ongoing trade war between the two countries. A 25 per cent surcharge will be applied to large appliances, like fridges, washing machines, and ovens, and Bradley says they have already noticed a difference. “We do sell directly and only GE appliances, so only 18 per cent of their SKUs are made in the U.S.,” Bradley points out, which has been changing since the tariff talk began. “Manufacturing in Mexico is cheaper than the U.S., point blank. I find GE is starting to pull their products and they’re pulling the manufacturing and moving more to Mexico.” Bradley says the American appliances tend to be higher in price, sometimes as much as a few hundred dollars more than a Canadian or Mexican model that she says has little to no differences. As for the latest round of tariffs, Bradley says they will deal with them as they come, but it won’t be on Tuesday. “We stocked up on some of our products that do come from the States,” says Bradley. “We stocked up on them and bought a few extras before the prices increase, and hopefully that that holds us over until till the tariffs are gone.” Bradley says just because the tariffs come into effect Tuesday it doesn’t mean prices will be going up that day. She says the American stock currently in the stores warehouse will be sold for the same value as it is listed for on the floor today, and their suppliers have assured them anything shipped before Tuesday will not have the additional 25 per cent tax applied. But with no formal talks currently planned between the two countries, there is no saying how long the newest wave of tariffs will remain. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
