We thought we'd check in to see how the headlines have been affecting your lives and your budgets, and what better way to do that than at the grocery store?
In this ongoing series, we plan to visit various grocery stores and learn more about what people are seeing amid Trump's tariff hikes. We're asking one of the most basic questions when it comes to spending: What’s in your shopping cart?
We caught up with Jean Hing at Palama Supermarket in Kalihi. She said she recently bought more canned goods at Costco to stock her pantry before prices rise even more.
HPR spoke to Oscar outside a Safeway in Honolulu as he finished buying groceries for the week. He said his two bags of food totaled about $150.
Let's set off next to a Safeway in Kailua, where we chatted with Denise about egg prices and other kitchen costs. She said it's not just the eggs, it's everything.
Outside Costco Iwilei, Josh from Kāneʻohe said he was shopping to meal prep for his daughter, who is a student athlete. The conversation soon turned to how tariffs threaten Josh's line of work.
At Shima's Supermarket in Waimānalo, Alika was swapping out spam for luncheon meat, which he said is a lot cheaper. That's also the reason he's purchasing more pork than beef these days.
Outside Costco Iwilei newlywed Michelle braved a busy Saturday picking up some everyday grocery essentials. She shared that with the uptick in prices, sheʻs looking at purchasing things seasonally.
How is the state of the economy affecting your shopping habits? What’s in your shopping cart? And where should we go next? Leave us a voicemail at 808-792-8217 or email us at talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org.
These interviews aired on The Conversation in April 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
