“It’s chaos,” says BKIND owner Marilyne Bouchard from the outset. The Montreal-based natural body care products company is experiencing its “worst” holiday season in 10 years of existence, she says.
“We work a lot to send few packages,” explains the entrepreneur.
Part of the problem lies in the postal costs charged by Canada Post’s private competitors, which reach substantial amounts, especially in more remote regions.
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“Sending a package to Val-d’Or will cost $20 with Canada Post, but with Purolator, it will cost $130. So, there are many regions where it is a headache to see how we are going to send them their packages,” she continues.
In addition to high prices, several private carriers are no longer taking new customers. They are overwhelmed by demand from businesses that used Canada Post services and are looking for an alternative.
“Delivery companies are dropping like flies. So, we have packages here that have been ready to be picked up for 12-13 days, but the delivery company does not come to collect the pallet,” laments Ms. Bouchard.
The businesswoman urges consumers to support Quebec entrepreneurs by going to stores to purchase their favorite local products.
“In addition, this is where we make the most profit on our sales because in store, there are no delivery costs to absorb,” she adds.
Some companies have better luck
At the company Poches & Fils, which specializes in personalized t-shirts, the effects of the labor conflict at Canada Post are being felt less than feared.
“We had already started a process to find other delivery people before the strike. We were lucky because when the strike started, there were certain delivery people who stopped taking on new customers. Currently, we are mainly with Nationex and honestly, things are going really well,” explains the company’s co-owner, Derek Morin.
Even though some of the orders he had already shipped are still sitting in a Canada Post warehouse, he estimates that this holiday season will be the best in 10 years of existence for his business.
Consequences across the country
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says the Canada Post strike cost small businesses $1.5 billion.
CFIB’s Jasmin Guenette says 25 to 40 per cent of sales are usually made during the holiday season, but that’s probably not the case this year.
“The strike at Canada Post costs small businesses in Canada $76 million every day,” he estimates.
– With reporting from Christine Long for CTV News
