After almost losing her jewellery-making business during the last Canada Post service disruption five years ago, Kimberly MacIntyre now ships the majority of her parcels by courier — and she believes businesses that rely on Canada Post could soon be in for a rough ride.

Canada Post said it intends to lock out its workers starting on Friday after months of negotiations have failed to make a labour deal between the postal carrier and its largest union. However, the 72-hour lockout notice does not necessarily mean the mail will stop being delivered as of Friday, Canada Post added.

During the last postal strike, McIntyre said she had to lay off staff at her store, Kuriosities, and refund credit card payments. After the strike ended, the unpaid product ended up being shipped anyway.

But others surveyed on the streets of Charlottetown today said they were not overly concerned about the possible disruption, except those who might be waiting for a cheque in the mail like their social security.

"We actually have a plan with a couple of stages we are working out," Maritime Electric spokeswoman Kim Griffin told CBC News, noting the company is getting a lot of phone calls from customers wondering how they should handle their power bills if their mail is disrupted.

About 48,000 Island customers still receive a paper bill through the mail, Griffin said. If there's a disruption, customers can pay online, at any bank or at 20 other retail sites across P.E.I.

The company plans to communicate its plan with customers via phone messages, email and advertising. Griffin said she believes many people will switch their bills to be able to pay online.

The P.E.I. government is encouraging clients in programs such as social assistance to switch to online transfers, which more than half do already.

For those who aren't, the government said a plan is being finalized to ensure payments can be picked up.