Postal strike resolution comes 'a little bit too late,' say these N.L. business owners

Small business owners say they've been struggling in the wake of the Canada Post strike. And now with postal employees ordered back to work, and Christmas Day just a week away, some say it's too little, too late. 

Paula Cornec, owner of Beavercraft in Stephenville, says there has seen a drop in customers who would usually buy gifts at her shop for their loved ones outside of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

She says says no province sends gifts like people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Newfoundlanders just want to send a piece of home away for the holidays," Cornec told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

It's not just Newfoundlanders who order from Beavercraft, says Cornec. Much of the shop's knitwear is shipped to people without any connection to the province.

That was put on pause over the last month.

Cornec says some priority orders were sent through couriers, but at a much higher cost. 

But now that Canada's mail service is back in working order, Cornec says customers might be able to send some cards, but are saying it's too late to send other products. 

However, Cornec is staying optimistic. 

"We'll recover," she said. "We always do."

Seeking other ways to earn sales

Meghan Fahey, owner of Driven to Ink in St. John's, has been looking for other revenue streams. 

Fahey told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show that a third of her online income usually comes during the last four weeks before Christmas.

That timeline lined up with the Canada Post strike.

Instead, she said, she has been "hustling," looking to local markets and storefronts to recoup the losses from online orders. 

The strike resolution came "a little bit too late," she said, to make the major Christmas sales she's used to.

But, she added, she's starting her Boxing Day sale a week early to make up for it. 

"I opened my shop [Monday night] and I'm just trying to make as many sales as I can now before the new year," she said. 

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