With the threat of tariffs looming, retailers such as Walmart and Target raced to ship popular items into the U.S., container data from ImportGenius shows, illuminating various front-loading strategies.

Information from the bills of lading, the digital receipts of shipping containers, shows a wide array of items ranging from Halloween costumes and decor, holiday decorations, air fryers, Barbies, Squishmallows and Mario Kart characters were pulled forward ahead of the tariffs and in the window when tariffs were paused.

"The front-loading patterns for the companies over the summer of 2024, ahead of the East Coast Longshoremen strike fears; the first few months of 2025, ahead of Liberation Day tariffs; and the unpausing of Chinese shipments in June, which arrived in July

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