By now nearly everyone in Canada knows and has probably (to some degree) felt the affects of Canada Post going on strike. Take us for example, we have not received any freebies or even any mail now at all for over 2 weeks. While news reports suggest that some post is getting through we beg to differ (please let us know your experiences in the comment section below).
So what does this mean for online shoppers? Quite lot actually. If you have purchased something from an online store recently you may have noticed that the product(s) just haven’t arrived yet. Who knows how they are managing to stockpile all of the packages and mail and if, once the strike is over, all the post will actually be delivered or if a lot will get lost in the mail. So for consumers who have purchased items using the store’s ground shipping method I’m afraid you may be in for a long wait.
Alternatives to Canada Post
On the other hand there is still hope. There are many stores that will ship items to your local store, or give consumers the option to use FedEx or UPS or Purolator as a shipping method. Our advice is this; use these methods and stay away from using Canada Post for the time being. Your bill for shipping may increase by a few dollars, but at least you can guarantee your parcel will arrive on time and it will arrive.
Research into online sales degrease due to strike
From some preliminary research, this week has been the worst hit so far in the strike, with online sales roughly down by about 30-40% across the board. Not only has this been a direct result from consumers afraid or not wanting to wait for their online purchases but more importantly those shoppers who receive pay checks and the like via mail do not have the money to shop.
While many services have sent emails to consumers noting that the strike is no excuse for a late payment on a bill, consumers are left to organize alternative means of paying bills. We as a company try to work as paperless as possible, but without credit card statements and the odd bill (like utilities) it’s hard to know where we stand. One things for certain and that is the effects of this strike are going to have serious knock on effects that will be seen for months to come.
The current Canada Post situation
While the Canada Post website noted that the lockout means that all mailboxes etc are now locked and sealed so no new mail can be entered, I found it to be the opposite on my research today (completed in Montreal Quebec). All three of the letter boxes we went to all seemed ‘open for business’, misleading customers further.
I am not sure how Canada Post intent to do this but apparently they are guaranteeing that all socio-economic cheques will be delivered on the 20th June 2011. But doesn’t this mean that the sorting staff must go back to work in order to filter the mail?
Share your thoughts on the Canada Post strike
Please let us know how the strike has affected you, we will even start a discussion on the right and wrongs on the situation. For more information on the strike and what it could mean for you we recommend the following resources;