Businesses navigate postal strike

A countrywide postal strike at Christmastime is of great concern for many retailers who are preparing for the impacts. Matt Carr, owner of Matt Carr Repair and Retro North Games, relies on Canada Post for his shipping of gaming components and said that his gaming company “is largely online.” “We do a lot of shipping for that and it’s going to be a little rough,” Carr said. “We’re going have to try to ship through UPS or FedEx, which is going to be much more expensive, but we won’t be charging customers more for shipping, so we’re just gonna have to eat some costs.” Carr said those costs will impact his business the longer the strike goes on. “We’ve never really shipped through UPS or FedEx, but I’m going to assume that they’re going to get a little bit flooded with everybody having to use them,” he said, adding he guesses it’s going to be slow. “That’s something that we’re going to find out.” Using other shipping services could have a reverse impact on the postal labour dispute. Shippers like Carr could discover that the alternate shipping service is better for their company. “I’d say there’s definitely a chance,” Carr said. “We already have an account with UPS where we get a little bit of a percentage off. It’s just something we’ve never explored because we never had to. Yet if we find prices are better, if the shipping is better, and if we get fewer lost packages, then yeah, if it’s a better service, we’d stick with it.” Meanwhile, Carr isn’t overly worried and said they will always find a way to get things going and they will “figure it out one way or another.” Charla Robinson, president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, is also concerned with the timing of the postal strike and said this is an important time for retailers who rely on the shipments of their stock. “They are shipping out of things that people are ordering and shipping in special things from other providers and suppliers, and suddenly they have to figure out a new way to do this — it’s a challenge,” Robinson said. “For individuals that were planning to buy something locally and ship it to their family far away are now thinking, ‘there’s a postal strike, so maybe I’ll just send them money.'” She said the postal strike can change consumer behaviour, which potentially could be detrimental to local retailers. Approximately 55,000 Canada Post workers were off the job on Friday morning after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with their employer. The postal workers are asking for fair wages, safe working conditions, the right to retire with dignity, and the expansion of services at the public post office.