We’re following the prices of 16 popular products, from Folgers coffee to a Ford F-150 pickup truck, to help you navigate today’s fast-changing marketplace
Hard-to-follow tariff news and other economic factors are making it difficult for shoppers to know if they’re getting a good price.
By Chris Raymond
If the
talk of tariffs
has you scratching your head, wondering about the potential impact on your
household budget
, you’re not alone. Lots of people in the U.S. are still unsure of what to expect.
Retailers, including Walmart, have said they will have to raise prices to offset the added cost of importing goods. Others, such as Home Depot, have vowed to hold steady, while acknowledging that this may require dropping certain product lines.
To help you follow developments that might affect your family’s bottom line, we’ve been monitoring prices on 16 popular products—everything from a tub of ground coffee to
laundry detergent
,
diapers
, an
infant car seat
, and a
popular pickup truck
.
Last week, prices mostly held firm across the board. The big exception was the
LG washing machine
, which dipped $50 at AJ Madison and Lowe’s. That’s just two weeks after rising $50 at both retailers.
Both outlets trumpet big savings. AJ Madison, which sells the washer for $845, claims the list price is $1,319. At Lowe’s, where the model sells for $848, it’s listed at $1,199. And at Home Depot, where the washer has sold for $848 for three weeks running, you’ll find that same $1,199 list price.
“It’s safe to say don’t buy this washing machine for more than $848,” says Mary Beth Quirk, the managing editor of shopping and
deals coverage
at Consumer Reports, “as we’ve seen it jump by $50 for a couple of weeks, then settle back to its previous price.”
If you’re thinking of
buying a TV
, consult the What to Know section, below, for more info from CR’s Jim Willcox on recent pricing trends. We’ll continue to track these shifts in price and availability each week to help you gauge where prices are really rising—or falling—and make better shopping decisions.
Here’s the full list of items that we’re tracking, arranged by average price. Below that, you’ll find the What to Know section and tips to help you shop smart in the days ahead. For roundups of the latest bargains, check out the
CR Deals hub.
Consumer Reports’ Price Tracker
What to Know
The
TCL TV
we’re tracking has dropped a full $100 in price in the last six weeks, but that’s not indicative of the TV market as a whole. According to OpenBrand, a market intelligence firm used by Consumer Reports, the product category has seen a slight increase in prices.
When you look closely, though, tariffs have had only a marginal impact on that.
OpenBrand attributes the price upticks mainly to TV brands introducing more step-up models with higher-end features, such as
Mini LED backlights
, and a growing assortment of very large TVs (as in, over
75 inches
).
“The price declines for the TCL TV are more in line with what we typically see this time of year,” says Willcox, who covers the TV business for CR. “TVs enter the market at close to list price and get less expensive as the months pass.”
OpenBrand says that in May, year-over-year prices for 65-inch sets were 9 percent lower than they were in 2024. A big reason for that is a higher level of promotional activity, with TV brands countering some of the tariff uncertainty by offering bigger discounts earlier in the year.
What does all this mean for you?
If you’re considering getting a new TV, this is a pretty good time to do it. For most mainstream models, we’re seeing price declines, and the discounts right now are bigger than those at this time a year ago. If you’re considering a very large, high-end, or flagship model, it may be better to wait a bit to see if prices decrease even more, especially during
Amazon’s Prime Day sales event
July 8 to 11.
Shopping Tips
Here are a few more things to keep in mind as you shop:
Don’t panic-shop.
It’s easy to get caught up in the fear of rising prices, but don’t lose your cool and buy things you’ll later regret owning.
Don’t hold off on the items you already planned to purchase.
If you’ve been gearing up to buy a
new refrigerator
, doing it now makes sense, especially if you have money budgeted for it and the price has remained steady.
Choose reliable products.
Higher prices could persist, so choose products that are likely to serve you well over the long term. CR members can use our ratings to review the most and least reliable brands in many categories, including
central air conditioning systems
,
dishwashers
,
dryers
,
heat pumps
,
refrigerators
,
vacuums
, and
washing machines
.
Shop for older models.
TVs
,
laptops
, and
smartphones
that are a year or two old often remain available at stores after newer models arrive. You can buy a
2024 MacBook Air with an M3 processor
for as little as
$799
, for example. It performs almost as well as the
new M4 version
of the laptop.
Consider a used or refurbished product.
While this advice doesn’t work equally well for all product categories, you might find that purchasing a factory-refreshed or gently
used appliance
,
laptop, or phone
can save you money. Apple, Best Buy, LG, Samsung, and others certify the products they resell and even offer new warranties. Items sold on eBay typically do not.
Use CR for Smart Buys and up-to-the-minute deals.
Consult our ratings for help finding products with a nice price and admirable performance. Apple and Samsung both sell well-made, budget-friendly phones, for example. (See the
iPhone SE
and the
Galaxy A25 5G
.) They’re much less expensive than flagship models but still do almost everything you want a modern smartphone to do.
Consumer Reports also has a devoted team of deal seekers who continually round up the best bargains on highly rated products. Find their picks at the
CR Deals hub
.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2025, Consumer Reports, Inc.