How the Canada Post Strike Nearly Extinguished Our Holiday Season

For most businesses, the holiday season is a time of joy, bustling sales, and eager customers preparing for the most wonderful time of the year. But here at Extinguishing Ornaments, we rely on delivering safety and peace of mind during the holidays; and the 2023 Canada Post strike couldn’t have come at a worse time. What should have been our busiest and most productive month was thrown into chaos, leaving us scrambling to keep up with demand while managing the unthinkable: orders stuck in transit.

A Strike at the Worst Possible Time

Our automatic Christmas tree fire extinguishers are a seasonal product. For months leading up to November, we work tirelessly to manufacture, test, and perfect our extinguishing ornaments so they’re ready to ship across North America in time for the holidays. As a business that offers a solution to an all-too-real problem—the risk of Christmas tree fires—timing isn’t just important. It’s everything.

But in late November, just as holiday shopping hit its peak, the Canada Post strike began.

With mail sorting centers frozen, delivery trucks parked, and packages piling up across the country, our lifeline to customers was suddenly severed. The strike—which stretched through the critical weeks leading into Christmas—left us unable to guarantee that our products would arrive when they were needed most.

The Impact: A Logistical Nightmare

Here’s the thing about a seasonal product: People don’t buy it in January.

The Canada Post strike delayed shipments for weeks, leaving us with:

• Frustrated customers waiting for their orders to arrive.

• Lost opportunities for last-minute shoppers unable to receive their orders in time.

• Significant financial strain, as cancellations and refunds mounted.

We pride ourselves on delivering both a product and a promise: safety and peace of mind during the holidays. But as shipping delays worsened and uncertainty grew, we were forced to manage upset customers who wanted solutions that we simply couldn’t provide.

Adapting to the Crisis

In the face of the unexpected, we had no choice but to adapt. Here’s what we did to keep operations afloat:

1. Pivoting to Alternative Carriers: We quickly turned to courier service with UPS, which, while more costly, ensured that some of our customers received their ornaments on time. 

2. Setting Clearer Expectations: We ramped up communication with customers, providing updates on the situation, revised timelines, and offering full refunds to those whose orders couldn’t be salvaged.

3. Expanding Local Pickup Options: For customers in our immediate area, we set up local pick-up hubs so they could get their orders without relying on a third-party shipping service. Square 1 Coffee quickly stepped up providing three locations in the Edmonton area for purchase or pickup of customers little holiday helpers (and a delightful pick me up drink or snack while there)! 

Despite these efforts, the damage was undeniable. Shipping delays meant lost sales and eroded trust with customers who count on us during the holidays.

A Note on Canada Post

We can’t hide our disappointment in Canada Post. As a trusted national service, we expected more reliability during such a critical time for Canadian businesses. Unfortunately, the strike forced us to make a difficult decision: we chose to partner with an American shipping company to ensure that our customers—on both sides of the border—receive their orders on time. This shift wasn’t made lightly, but the well-being of our customers and our business comes first.

Lessons Learned

The Canada Post strike served as a stark reminder of how reliant we are on a single shipping system. For small businesses like ours, the consequences were devastating. Moving forward, we’re taking key lessons to heart:

• Diversifying Shipping Partners: We’ll now work with multiple couriers to reduce dependency on any one carrier.

• Better Inventory Planning: Starting sales and marketing earlier with staging inventory closer to our major markets can minimize shipping disruptions.

• Enhanced Customer Communication: Proactively preparing for logistical disruptions will help us set clearer expectations and reduce frustration.

Looking Ahead

While the strike nearly extinguished our holiday season, it didn’t extinguish our passion. Extinguishing Ornaments is committed to providing innovative, lifesaving products that keep families safe during the holidays. This challenge tested us, but it also strengthened our resolve to serve our customers better, no matter the circumstances.

We want to thank everyone who stuck with us during this challenging time. Your support means everything, and we’re already looking ahead to next year’s holiday season—more prepared and determined than ever.

Here’s to a safer, smoother, and strike-free holiday season in the years to come!