Clark Biweekly 6 12 25

Author

Anthony Hazzard
June 12, 2025

Customer-friendly companies are trying to do right by their customers despite rising tariffs. Find out what some companies are doing further in this email. 

💵 Today’s Top Stories
Credit Card

Clark picked up this brilliant credit card rewards trick by talking to a shopper at Costco. Read this to decide if you want to start using it for yourself. Read more.

Car rental sign

Travel is gearing up. Want to make the most out of your next trip and don’t want to waste time with a bad rental car experience? See which companies satisfy their customers. Read more.

House for rent

WalletHub compared median annual household income to median annual gross rent to determine the cheapest cities in the U.S. for renters. Hint: they aren’t giants. Read more.

Credit Cards

Team Clark has long recommended this cash back credit card. Will this solid return be impacted? Read more.

Roku

Roku is a streaming device – and also a free streaming option with movies and TV series, including original content. Here’s how to sign up and what content the channel offers. Read more.

💻️ Tech Tip From Kim Komando

Stranger danger: If you use apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp for calls, your IP address could be shared with the person you’re talking to. Want to keep your IP private? Open the app, hit Settings, find Privacy or Connection, and switch off Peer-to-peer. Your calls might not be as clear, but your IP will stay hidden. Join 575K people who get tech smart with my friend Kim Komando’s free newsletter, The Current.

📈 Customer-Friendly Companies Winning Despite Tariffs

Whether it’s inflation or tariffs, we’ve seen predictable price patterns from corporations.

Some leverage negative economic headlines as cover for (margin-increasing) price hikes. Others work extremely hard to be customer-friendly.

We’ve seen the second group earn plenty of love from customers. For example, Costco recently rerouted sourcing for Kirkland Signature. It also raised prices on some items and allowed its margins to fall on others, all in an attempt to do right by customers.

“Raising prices is always seen as a last resort,” CFO Gary Millerchip said.

Ford revealed a limited-time employee pricing program on certain vehicles for everyone as the nation fretted about tariffs potentially sending car prices sky high.

The result? Ford announced a 16.3% year-over-year sales increase in May – despite a 25% drop in electric vehicle sales vs. 2024.

Ford has raised prices on some vehicles, specifically those imported from Mexico,” CNBC reported, due to “seasonal adjustments and tariff impacts.” But the America First marketing campaign with discounted margins on certain vehicles has worked well.

📊 Stat of the Day

🛍️ -48%: Temu’s drop in daily United States users from March to May after the onset of tariffs. Temu is a Chinese e-commerce giant that previously leveraged favorable export taxes on small items.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
Home Depot
🎙️ Podcast

Tired of expensive internet? According to a recent report, our internet bills are likely up more than $200 this year. Clark reveals how to escape the "cable monsters" with cheaper options. Also, junk fees are a pest to our wallets when purchasing tickets to events and booking travel. Clark has some good news to share to help you avoid sticker shock.

☎️ Need Money Help?

The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information.

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