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the cart doesn't make sense, it's too small and has too specific things in it. cod filet are pricier, shrimps are way cheaper. Great.

by d--b 7y ago

SiempreViernes 7y ago
What do you mean too specific? How can you reasonably track the price of something less specific than a product?
- sct202 7y ago
  NPR only tracked 80 items. Walmart has giant analytic teams who determine pricing changes based on demand elasticity, profitability, and other things so there will be a lot of noise when you see price changes to determine the cause.
zaroth 7y ago
> To create NPR's basket, we consulted the lists from 2018 of tariffs the White House imposed on imports from China, but also Mexico and Canada — as well as China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made products. The products were picked not to represent an average shopping cart at Walmart (because we already do that and it’s called the CPI), but to specifically target items which they thought would be hardest hit by tariffs. It’s an entirely unscientific report showing price changes at a single store with an artificial basket of goods with no attempt whatsoever to control for independent variables. In short, it tells us nothing at best, and is misinformation at worst. It’s hard to tell if the effort was even done in good faith. Then again, TFA’s first sentence is “Shoppers beware.” Maybe that tells us all we need to know. I am actually a bit surprised that first sentence made it to print.
- droithomme 7y ago
  > but to specifically target items which they thought would be hardest hit by tariffs In that case we can draw some conclusions. Even trying to game the basket, most of the items either stayed the same price or went down. So the effect of tariffs on prices appears to be negligible.
jetrink 7y ago
NPR is tracking dozens of items. The full table is further down in the article. "NPR's basket was based on the 2018 lists of tariffs the White House imposed on imports from China, Mexico and Canada as well as China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made products."

the cart doesn't make sense, it's too small and has too specific things in it. cod filet are pricier, shrimps are way cheaper. Great.

by d--b 7y ago

the cart doesn't make sense, it's too small and has too specific things in it. cod filet are pricier, shrimps are way cheaper. Great.

SiempreViernes 7y ago

What do you mean too specific? How can you reasonably track the price of something less specific than a product?

sct202 7y ago
NPR only tracked 80 items. Walmart has giant analytic teams who determine pricing changes based on demand elasticity, profitability, and other things so there will be a lot of noise when you see price changes to determine the cause.

zaroth 7y ago

> To create NPR's basket, we consulted the lists from 2018 of tariffs the White House imposed on imports from China, but also Mexico and Canada — as well as China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made products. The products were picked not to represent an average shopping cart at Walmart (because we already do that and it’s called the CPI), but to specifically target items which they thought would be hardest hit by tariffs. It’s an entirely unscientific report showing price changes at a single store with an artificial basket of goods with no attempt whatsoever to control for independent variables. In short, it tells us nothing at best, and is misinformation at worst. It’s hard to tell if the effort was even done in good faith. Then again, TFA’s first sentence is “Shoppers beware.” Maybe that tells us all we need to know. I am actually a bit surprised that first sentence made it to print.

droithomme 7y ago
> but to specifically target items which they thought would be hardest hit by tariffs In that case we can draw some conclusions. Even trying to game the basket, most of the items either stayed the same price or went down. So the effect of tariffs on prices appears to be negligible.

jetrink 7y ago

NPR is tracking dozens of items. The full table is further down in the article. "NPR's basket was based on the 2018 lists of tariffs the White House imposed on imports from China, Mexico and Canada as well as China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made products."