Americans preparing for Independence Day gatherings are benefiting from an unusually steep drop in the price of summer essentials. Consumer-data firm Numerator says a basket of 16 items typically bought for a pool-side party—including a grill, cooler, patio furniture and towels—cost an average of $858 in June, the lowest for the month since 2020. The tally is 11% cheaper than a year earlier, when the same assortment ran $966, and 8.4% below June 2024 levels, according to an analysis of receipts and online account activity from 200,000 U.S. shoppers. Numerator’s chief economist, Leo Feler, attributes the decline to retailers discounting excess inventory and absorbing some import levies rather than risk being stuck with unsold goods. The reprieve comes despite trade frictions that pushed the headline U.S. tariff rate on Chinese products to 145% in April before a bilateral accord trimmed it to 55% last month. Feler cautions that the price relief may be short-lived, with back-to-school merchandise likely to reflect higher import costs later in the summer.