With one month to go until Christmas, the backlog of mail is piling up, something that might be catastrophic for small businesses on the Island.
“We’ve seen that our sales have gone down 40 per cent, which is actually terrifying as a small business,” said Katie Gamble, owner ofa Central Saanich-based small business specializing in beeswax food wraps, Swedish cloths that replace paper towel, and soap tablets for reusable pumps.“Right now we have them fulfilled, and we’ve got nowhere to hand them off to,” said Kami Manak.As the nation-wide Canada Post strike enters its 11th day, progress remains “limited” at the negotiating table.
The additional cost though has been a barrier. Whereas Canada Post costs roughly $2-$5 per shipment, the alternative courier’s are around $18-$30. Nature Bee is taking a loss by charging a flat rate of $12 for the alternative services, a deficit that’s eating into the already slim margins of a small business.
Online, Nature Bee is seeing more and more customers leave their carts empty, a shortfall Gamble hopes will be helped – locally, anyways – by the prospect of pickup.budding business hopes a month out from Christmas that this isn’t the point of no return and that if the labour disruption is resolved soon, their orders will make it under the tree.Kori is drawn to stories that highlight systemic needs for change; from the housing crisis, to courts and crime, and the difficult stories of sexual assault for which she produced a series on in 2021. Kori...