President Trump's reciprocal tariffs are currently on hold, but that's not stopping some consumers from stocking up canned foods and other nonperishables that they think could be affected by tariffs in the future.

In the days immediately following Mr. Trump's sweeping reciprocal tariff announcement on April 2, purchases of goods in shelf-stable categories, including canned and jarred vegetables, instant coffee, ketchup and beer rose from the week earlier, according to data from Consumer Edge, a provider of consumer spending insights. Consumer Edge analyzed physical receipts and other transaction data at a variety of retailers, including big-box stores, warehouse clubs and convenience stores, to track purchases by item type. 

"We are seeing evidence of consumers picking up more items, potentially ahead of tariffs increasing pricing," Consumer Edge's head of insights, Michael Gunther, told CBS MoneyWatch. "We'll see if that continues."

Though Mr. Trump on Wednesday issued a 90-day pause on country-specific reciprocal tariffs, a 125% levy on goods from China, also taking effect on Wednesday remains in place. That could mean more pain for shoppers, as tariffs are basically taxes on foreign goods paid for by businesses who then raise prices on products to make up for the added expense.

Stocking up on pantry staples

With that in mind, some consumers appear to be shifting their shopping behavior and entering "stock up" mode, according to Consumer Edge. That means stocking up on goods that they would have otherwise purchased at a later time, in order to avoid potential price hikes. 

Here's how consumer buying patterns changed on April 3-4, compared with buying patterns on Thursday and Friday, one week earlier:

• Canned and jarred vegetables: +29%
• Instant coffee: +21%
• Ketchup: +18%
• Beer: +3%

Purchase volume also rose substantially compared with the average of all Thursdays and Fridays in 2025, according to Consumer Edge. 

The uptick in purchases across categories with relatively long lifespans makes sense, according to Gunther. "They will last for some time in someone's pantry, where it's OK to stock up," he said, noting that most coffee sold in the U.S. is imported from other countries. 

Bigger basket sizes

Additionally, on the Thursday and Friday following Mr. Trump's April 2 tariff announcement, shoppers on average took home more items per trip to major retailers Walmart and Target, Consumer Edge data shows. 

In the days leading up to April 2, shopping destinations including BJ's, Costco and Amazon, saw increases in transaction sizes, or money spent, additional data from Consumer Edge also shows. The larger basket sizes may reflect "preparation for future price increases," according to Gunther. 

"We saw an increase in the average ticket size among the big names where you might expect people to be going to stock up," he added. "If something shows up in different ways, it lends more credence to this being something real happening. It's important to see the initial reaction and it certainly seems like consumers are responding."

Tariffs currently in place

It remains to be seen whether or not the pantry-stocking trend continues, as the threat of country-specific reciprocal levies continues to loom. Currently, in addition to the 125% levy on China, a 10% baseline tariff on all global imports remains in place.  

The Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group, estimated in an April 3 analysis that Mr. Trump's reciprocal tariffs, if applied at the rates he originally announced, could cost Americans $3.1 trillion over 10 years, amounting to $2,100 tax increase per household in 2025.  

Experts, however, caution consumers against resorting to panic-buying or hoarding goods they might not need. Such behavior can put pressure on demand, lead to shortages and stoke inflation, the warn.