Local small business champion calls out "free shipping" entitlement
A local business owner is fed up with customers who feel entitled to free shipping without realizing the high costs that small businesses face to ship their products.
Megan Nakazawa owns The Local Space, an online store plus three brick and mortar locations in Downtown Chilliwack, Downtown Langley and South Surrey in Morgan Crossing retailing only Canadian brands.
A recent Instagram post from the company calls out customers who have been complaining about shipping costsĀ ā and it’s gotten a huge response from other business owners from across Canada who are feeling the same shipping pains.
“The whole point of the post was really just an educational opportunity for our shoppers,” Nakazawa told Daily Hive.
“Because The Local Space is home to over 250 different Canadian brands, we want to support them, we want to say the words that maybe they didnāt have the courage to say.”
“If I get some hate for being honest about what goes into running a business in today climate, then so be it, itās the truth and if they donāt want to hear it, then are they really a supporter of small businesses?”
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Nakazawa says Amazon has “trained customers to expect free shipping as though it is their right.”
But Amazon has contracts and money that small businesses can’t come close to.
“Small businesses have much smaller profit margin than the big guys,” she said.
Nakazawa says that COVID-19, rising costs, and labour shortages continue to affect small businesses, and she’s heartbroken at how many she’s seen close their doors in recent months.
“We just canāt win,” she said.
“Sure, I could choose to retail items from overseas that have a much higher profit margin but I think there is something special about supporting local businesses, makers and creators right here in Canada.”
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“The amount of times I have received a DM or e-mail saying they would have āsupportedā my business if they didnāt have to pay for shipping is outrageous,” said Nakazawa.
Ahead of the holidays, Canada Post customers will be paying more to send packages. Citing rising fuel costs, Canada Post has an additional 39.5% surcharge to send packages domestically.
“I would basically be paying people to shop from me if I paid all these crazy shipping fees. Instead of getting mad at me about shipping fees why donāt you reach out to Canada Post…because at the end of the day, they are going to be the reason why Canadian businesses cannot survive.”
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