The escalation of the Canada Post strike has many Prince George residents worried about ordering gifts online this Christmas and whether those orders will arrive on time for Dec. 25.
Although the federal government made noises about back-to-work legislation, it also stressed that it will not pass such legislation immediately, preferring a negotiated settlement between the national post office and its unionized employees.
Texting, emailing and social media have all but destroyed Canada Post's business model when it comes to person-to-person correspondence. What has saved the post office is the explosion in parcel delivery, brought on by online shopping.
The problem, however, is that the rise of Amazon and other online outlets has caused huge problems for local brick-and-mortar retail operations.
A physical presence through a storefront and employees cost money, meaning they can't come close to competing on price with Amazon, which also benefits from sales volume.
Everybody loves a bargain and these days, most people are cost-conscious out of necessity. Still, every online sale makes Prince George a little poorer. Those dollars are going into the pockets of individuals in other cities, other provinces and, mostly, other countries. That's money not staying in the local economy to benefit local businesses and employees.
The damage of online shopping is like climate change. On the surface and in the here and now, it's impossible to see. Take a step back, however, and the increasing damage being done to people and places is crystal clear.
An individual or family can't make the connection between their online shopping and local stores laying off staff or closing up shop, just like they can't see how warming up their truck for 20 minutes on a morning when it's 4 C adds more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Multiplied by 25,000 households in Prince George, however, and suddenly it's easy to see millions of dollars streaming out of the local economy and tons of pollution rising in the air.
There are products that can't be bought in Prince George and can only be obtained online but that's actually a pretty short list. For those with more patience than a two-year-old and who have matured beyond instant gratification, local retailers can bring in just about anything not on their shelves and at a reasonable price.
The benefits of paying more for local goods over getting the amazing online deals are so numerous and obvious that they're actually hard to see. Buying from a local store (and especially if it's also a local product) pays massive dividends through the community. The business owners and employees can then spend their income on a home, a vehicle and support other local businesses (like the one you work at or own, for example), as well as sign up their kids for local sports teams or send them to the College of New Caledonia or UNBC.
The sad irony is the same people who often moan about the lack of retail shopping opportunities in Prince George, compared to Kamloops (where's our Pier One Imports? Where's our Chapters? Why can't Safeway come back?) are the first ones seeking online bargains, either tomorrow for Black Friday or on Cyber Monday.
Shopping locally doesn't just benefit store owners and employers. It is an investment in Prince George and the people who live here. Restricting online shopping to specific goods unavailable from area stores still helps Canada Post and its local employees.
Publicly-owned multinational companies are forced to invest in other countries to stay competitive in the global marketplace and to satisfy investors. Individuals and their families, however, need to invest in their communities, their local businesses, the places where they work, where their friends and family members work.
Online shopping can deliver short-term bargains but the long-term costs are much too high.
If you really care about Prince George, put your money where your mouth is. Support local business as much as you can, not just tomorrow but every day.
Speaking of tomorrow, it's Plaid Friday downtown. Downtown businesses are offering great specials while Downtown Prince George is hosting some fun activities, from family fun and a special jolly fellow at Hubspace to the Cantata Singers strolling about with Christmas carols to put everyone in the holiday spirit.
Amazon can't come close to a great deal like that.
-- Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
