Whether you’re trying to send holiday cards or shipping packages, Canada Post is not an option as workers enter their second week on strike.
More than 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike last Friday, halting mail and parcel services across the country. Some post offices have also been shuttered amid the job action.
Swish is a vintage and designer store on 124th street in central Edmonton.
Owner Angela Larson said the postal strike experience has been awful.
“Most people are not very happy with Canada Post because they have held small businesses at hostage at our busiest time of year,” Larson said.
About 30 per cent of her sales are shipped out — with a lot of the items heading south of the border.
She’s been trying to find other affordable carriers, but because of a high volume of traffic, websites keep crashing.
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“We do want to go back to Canada Post but they are making things uncomfortable for all of us right now,” Larson added.
Mark Wilson, the co-owner of Vivid Prints on Whyte Avenue, said they’ve been successful in switching carriers and will likely stay with them for a while after the strike is resolved, as he expects Canada Post will take some time to get through the backlog of mail and packages currently sitting in facilities across the country.
Wilson did note sales of things like Christmas cards are down right now as people figure out how to get them out.
“A lot of people are choosing to hand deliver them if they are local — obviously they can’t if they’re abroad,” Wilson said.
Courier Purolator, which is also owned by Canada Post but is not part of the strike, said it’s ready to pick up the slack and told Global News the carrier anticipates more packages this season.
The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce says most businesses have been able to secure other delivery services but the strike has left a sour taste.
“They need to be thinking long-term and unfortunately for Canada Post, that means its eroding their advantage of being a supplier for their businesses,” said Heather Thomson, the VP of strategy, research and engagement at the Chamber of Commerce.
The CFIB, which represents 97,000 small and medium-sized business (SME) owners across the country, said the strike is negatively impacting Canadian businesses and wants Ottawa to intervene.
As Kabi Moulitharan reports, it’s been a challenge for businesses sending orders at the busiest time of the year.
Watch more in the video above.
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