Montreal small business says Canada Post strike is hurting holiday sales

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says the Canada Post strike has cost $1.5 billion for small operations. Outgoing sales and incoming revenues are both affected.

The owner of La Ribouldingue game and toy store in Plaza Vaudreuil, Lucie Bourbonnais, says online toy sales are down because clients think they can't deliver, even with a red banner on the website assuring customers they can.

"We've always dealt with Canada Post exclusively. Obviously with the strike, we had to turn around and find some other alternatives," she says. 

Jasmin Guenette of the CFIB says that usually 25 per cent to 40 per cent of sales happen during holiday season, but probably not this year.

"The strike at Canada Post is costing small businesses in Canada $76 million every day," he says.

With the strike heading into another week, Bourbonnais is glad the Quebec retail council helps members deliver through the "Envoie Quebec" platform. She explains "it gives us access to over 20 different transport companies. So it let us choose which is the one more profitable for us to use for this box, for this address."

Yet, even those delivery companies are overloaded and not always taking new orders.

"Those alternative services are completely maxed out," says Guenette. And Bourbonnais agrees.

"Sometimes the trucks shows up at the store and unfortunately, that they'll tell us, well, we can only pick up half of the boxes you've prepared because we don't have room enough, we’ll come back tomorrow," she says.

Aside from sales, Guenette says small businesses are hurting in other ways because of the postal strike.

"Many small businesses pay themselves by check and so they send by mail invoice and they receive payments by mail. and if many small firms don't receive payments on time, it means that they may struggle to pay their rent. they may struggle to pay employees," Bourbonnais adds. "This strike really affects the little stores like us and this is our life."