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As well as the postal workers themselves one independent business owner said she is also bearing the brunt of the postal strikes.
And she fears her mail-order business will suffer badly if the 19 further walkouts in the lead up to the busy Christmas period go ahead.
Postal workers are locked in a worsening dispute with Royal Mail over pay and conditions.
Neve’s Bees in Eynsham makes a range of skincare and beauty products, hand creams and body oils similar to Burt’s Bees.
Owner Julie Macken relies on the Royal Mail for prompt delivery of their products – especially at Christmas.
She said: “We do a lot of gifting and so we see a lot of our sales at Christmas. It most certainly the most lucrative time of our year and supports us the rest of the year.
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“For many businesses, Christmas is the bit of the year that makes it possible for them to continue the next year. Straight after Halloween is when people begin their Christmas shopping in earnest.
“If you are a fairly robust business with a good grounding and have buffers – we have been going for 50 years – that’s fine. But if you were scraping by this could well put you under.
“I know of a number of small shops who are seriously struggling at the moment in the current climate.”
To retain customers, she has had to spend extra money on couriers which is “costing a fortune” and means she has taken a big pay cut to protect her staff.
“It’s putting up our delivery costs considerably and now we’re looking at taking smaller orders to a courier too,” she said.
“And it’s not just online shops feeling the effects.
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“It has a knock on – it’s not only affecting online businesses or those with an ecommerce arm. Bricks and mortar shops have got to get stock in – if they are struggling to receive stock from people like us it’s a problem for them too.”
Mrs Macken said she can’t afford to damage relationships with customers.
“If the service is no longer reliable we have to find another means of delivery. We really need a reliable partner so that we deliver to our customers what we have said we are going to do.”
Meanwhile she is trying to look for the positives in the situation.
“I’m actually cycling to Christ Church now,” she said, “and doing a delivery now. It’s quite fun and it’s keeping me fit but it’s a challenge.
“We’re hanging in there and hoping they’ll sort it all out soon – the thought of this carrying on, of there being more and more strikes, is horrific.”
This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris
Profile: Miranda Norris Journalists news from the Oxford Mail
Profile: Miranda Norris Journalists news from the Oxford Mail
