FORT WAYNE, Indiana/NORTH BERGEN, New Jersey/RALEIGH, North Carolina/SANTA BARBARA, California - Brushing snowflakes off her hair, Teagan Hickson walked into a Walmart Supercenter in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with hopes of picking up a few holiday deals on Black Friday (Nov 29). The first thing the mother of two spotted: A pallet stacked high with Gourmia digital air fryer ovens for US$50 (S$67) each.

Her sister Jordan had been wanting one, she said, but money was tight right now for everyone in her family. She worried about expenses next year, after reading posts on Facebook about price hikes if President-elect Donald Trump’s planned tariffs go into effect in January.

“I’m trying to not spend too much,” said Ms Hickson, 43. “I don’t want to add to my credit cards, but I don’t want to pay more for stuff next year.”

As retailers reopened US stores after the American Thanksgiving holiday, some locations drew clusters of shoppers. People were eager to see stores’ Black Friday discounts, often comparing them to rivals’ prices for similar merchandise online.

Weighing on the minds of many Americans: Should prices rise in 2025 as a result of Trump’s move to implement new tariffs on some US imports, consumers like Ms Hickson could feel impact at grocery stores and restaurants, potentially driving up their living costs.

At Walmart, Ms Hickson called her husband Josh, who was sitting in front of his computer at home and ready to compare prices in the store with what they could find online.

“Baby, this looks pretty nice,” she told Josh. “What’s it online?”

A few seconds later, Josh found a similar model on Amazon for double the price. She grabbed a box, put it in her cart, and headed deeper into the big-box store.

Walmart, which operates 4,700 US stores, offered deals on Samsung TVs, Dyson vacuum cleaners, Lego and Hot Wheels toys, Levi’s jeans, and air fryers.

“I find the prices pretty much same as last year,” said Ms Cristal Lopez as she pushed a cart full of clothing and a couple of sling tote bags through the aisles of a North Bergen, New Jersey, Walmart Supercenter. She intends to spend US$1,000 to US$2,000 in total - same as last year - on holiday purchases, mostly on clothing.

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