Tariffs slam Temu, Shein and send shoppers to US department stores

Shoppers have fled Temu and Shein after President Trump slapped the Chinese sites with hefty tariffs – spending their dollars instead at US department stores like Nordstrom Rack and Kohl’s, according to data exclusively shared with The Post.Temu saw its spending growth among US customers plummet in April, slowing from nearly 50% year-over-year growth at the start of the month to nearly 0% at the end, according to credit and debit card data analyzed by Consumer Edge.Shein also suffered a steep decline in US spending growth, cooling from 30% at the start of April to just 20% at the end.That spending slowdown is no coincidence. In early April, Trump ended the de minimis exemption, a trade loophole that both Temu and Shein used to avoid paying taxes while sending low-value packages to the US.They were hit with a 120% tariff overnight, forcing the retailers to hike prices and halt shipments of Chinese products.The White House lowered that rate to 54% on Tuesday.In the three weeks ended April 27, former Temu and Shein shoppers spent 21% more at Nordstrom Rack than the year before, according to Consumer Edge.

That’s more than the 12% overall spend growth at Nordstrom Rack.“It could be that these folks have been shopping at department stores for a while, were attracted to affordable prices from Temu and Shein, and then became a little cold on those brands amid everything going on,” Michael Gunther, vice president and head of insights at Consumer Edge, told The Post.Former Temu and Shein shoppers – who made multiple purchases at the Chinese sites earlier in the year but none in March or April – brought their business to Bloomingdale’s, Old Navy and Kohl’s over the same three weeks, according to Consumer Edge.They spent 52%, 12% and 6% more at these retailers than the year before, outpacing overall spending growth from all customers, according to the data. Much like Temu and Shein, department stores are a one-stop shop – selling apparel, footwear, beaut...