Why Retailers Are Cutting Prices As CPI Cools And Iran Risks Rise

Why The Back-To-School Season Matters

Back-to-school is the retail industry’s first major demand test of the second half of the year. Spending this year is expected to hit a record high of $43.3 billion on back-to-school, and $103.5 billion on back-to-college. These figures are too important to ignore.

The data also shows how shoppers continue to prioritize value over convenience and brand loyalty. According to Deloitte’s 2026 Back-to-School Survey, value-seeking has been the default mode for the back-to-school shopper. Perception is reality, as consumers remain highly price conscious after years of cumulative inflation even as the CPI improves. While economists focus on how quickly prices are changing, consumers experience how high prices have become.

That disconnect is reinforced by consumer sentiment. Although confidence has improved from May’s historic low as gas prices moderated, consumers remain cautious and continue to cite the cost of living as one of their biggest financial concerns. The current K-shaped economy continues to bifurcate consumers spending while years of elevating grocery bills, housing costs and everyday expenses have fundamentally reshaped shopping behavior.

Winning these shoppers matters. Back-to-school is one of the largest retail events outside of the holiday season, and the largest for certain product categories. It influences spending across apparel, footwear, office supplies, electronics and home furnishings. Retailers understand that establishing a value perception during this period can influence shopping habits well beyond August. That’s why the timing of retailer campaigns on pricing is so significant.

Retailers Reinforce Value Positioning

Major retailers are responding accordingly with a wave of pricing actions. Although the approaches vary, the focus remains on value perception.

• Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has reduced prices across thousands of products including grocery items, household goods and more, reinforcing its Every Day Low Price (EDLP) strategy.
• Costco took a more selective approach with targeted reductions to select private label Kirkland Signature branded products. This highlights member-value with proprietary goods.
• Bed Bath & Beyond, which was once the prime destination for back-to-college shopping, declared permanent price reset up to 25%. The retailer also reignited support for its 20% coupon, launching a promotion around a search for the oldest surviving coupon.
• Staples took a stance of consistency by declaring the same prices as last year, while bringing back its 1996 ‘Most Wonderful Time of the Year’ campaign in a bid for nostalgia.
• IKEA is already looking at the longer term by tightening its belt. The retailer announced planned layoffs, while citing the move as a strategy to focus on low-price offerings.

Taken together, these announcements show how retailers are tapping into how customers feel. The irony is that retailers are making these affordability commitments just as the cost outlook becomes more uncertain.

How The Iran Conflict Raises Cost Risks

Celebrations around positive inflation results are short-lived as new strikes on Iran have been carried out by the US. Oil prices rose sharply with the announcement of resumed military actions and a naval blockade. The administration also floated the possibility of a potential 20% toll on vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, an action that has the potential to double the cost of shipping oil through the strait. The administration later backed off of this claim, but the threat remains.

For retailers, the concern extends well beyond just gasoline prices, into compounding costs. Higher oil prices ripple throughout global supply chains, increasing ocean freight, trucking expenses, packaging costs, fertilizers and the price of petrochemical-based materials used throughout the retail industry. Home furnishings, apparel, footwear, toys and countless consumer products ultimately face those higher input and operational costs.

Based on standard manufacturing lead times, agricultural cycles and retail buying cycles, many of the costs have yet to hit shelves. Retailers therefore find themselves balancing two competing realities, consumers still expect value while future costs may once again be moving higher.

The Long-Term Pricing Challenge

Although June’s CPI report may suggest inflation is easing, retailers understand the ripple effects having fared several global supply chain disruptions in recent years. Seeing ahead, they understand the inflation fight isn’t over.

Monthly CPI reports are backward-looking. Merchandising and sourcing decisions for the second half of the year are based on expected costs rather than last month’s inflation data. In the short-term, competing aggressively on price offers an opportunity to be seen as the low price destination and capture market share during the critical back-to-school season.

The longer-term challenge is whether those strategies are sustainable. If renewed conflict with Iran pushes energy, transportation and material costs higher into the holiday season, retailers may face difficult decisions like those that IKEA has already begun to make.