Local oriental market prepares for tariff increase (2025)

MANUFACTURING IN THE U.S. WELL, THOSE TARIFFS WILL IMPACT BUSINESSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING RIGHT HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE. REPORTER ALYSSA MUNOZ SPOKE TO AN OWNER OF AN ORIENTAL MARKET WHO SAYS THEY ARE WORRIED. WELL, SASHA, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT KIM’S ORIENTAL MARKET AND RESTAURANT, AND THEY RELY ON SHIPMENTS FROM SOUTH KOREA WHILE THEIR OPERATING PRICES HAVEN’T GONE UP, THEY SAY THEY HAVE GOTTEN A NOTICE FROM THEIR VENDORS THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN SOON AT KIM’S ORIENTAL MARKET, YOU’LL FIND UNIQUE ASIAN ITEMS, SOMETHING THAT MAKES THEIR BUSINESS SO IMPORTANT FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. BUT NOW IT BECOMES A HARD TASK TO KEEP THOSE OPTIONS. SINCE THE TARIFF IS LIKE ALL OVER THE WORLD, LIKE JAPAN, CHINA, KOREA, EVERYWHERE. SO I JUST COULDN’T FIND ANY KIND OF ALTERNATIVE WAY TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT. SO AGAIN, IT’S LIKE, RIGHT NOW. KIM RUNS THE RESTAURANT INSIDE OF THE ORIENTAL MARKET. BOTH HE AND THE OWNERS VENDOR OVERSEAS SAYS SOON THEIR PRODUCT WILL COST MORE. AND FOR SOME ITEMS THAT COULD BE $4 MORE. I HAVE TO BUY LIKE 100, 300 MONTHLY. THEY’LL BE LIKE 1200, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT’S CRITICAL FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. AND AS TARIFFS RISE, UNM ECONOMIST SAYS ITEMS LIKE CLOTHES, ELECTRONICS AND GROCERIES WILL GET EXPENSIVE. IT WILL FORCE FAMILIES TO SAY THE STUFF THAT THEY TAKE FOR GRANTED, THE THINGS THAT THEY BOUGHT FOR MONTHS AND YEARS ON END MIGHT SEE PRICE INCREASES DUE TO TARIFFS THAT PUT THEM OUT OF REACH. KIM SAYS THIS MAKES PUTTING A MENU TOGETHER DIFFICULT, TRYING TO COME UP WITH OTHER MENUS THAT COULD USE LESS INTERNATIONALLY IMPORTED ITEMS. DEFINITELY. I THOUGHT ABOUT IT, BUT THEN IT WILL KILL OUR IDENTITY AS A KOREAN RESTAURANT. SO YEAH, YEAH, IT’S HARD. NOW, KIM’S VENDOR SAYS GETTING THESE IMPORTS MIGHT ALS