Canada Post strike could hurt or help small businesses during holiday season [Video]

As we head into the holiday season, one Edmonton small business owner says she’s shutting down online orders – something not all businesses may be able to do.

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Janelle Holod, owner of Cyanotype Paper Goods, is encouraging her customers to shop local amid the Canada Post strike.

Because her shop sells light-weight paper products, she previously relied on letter mail to send out orders.

When postal workers hit the picket lines, she said she decided not to swap suppliers.

“When your products are really small and really light, sometimes you end up with a shipping cost that’s more than the product,” Holod said. “That doesn’t feel very good for people, so I didn’t want to operate that way if I could avoid it.”

Heather Thompson, of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, said this is a pivotal time of year for many small businesses, with almost a third of sales coming …