C R S   M o n t h l y  H e a d l i n e s

December 2024

Canada Post Strike Consequentially Affecting Shipping Costs Across the Board

ALL Courier Shipping Costs Have Significantly Increased

This is probably not news to you, especially if you’re a retailer that deals in the ecommerce space and has to ship products to expecting customers on a daily basis. With the Canada Post strike interrupting our holiday shipping methods and threatening product supply, well known couriers such as Purolator, UPS, and FedEx have consequentially increased their shipping costs. It doesn’t appear that there is any pattern in the increase, either, as we’ve been seeing cases where there are shipping cost differences of 200% from one courier to the next on the same item. 

With that being said, as your Retail Operations Partner, we strive to find you the best possible shipping rate we can when it comes to ordering hardware through our team. Despite our efforts, there may still be cases where you will see an increase in shipping costs until the Canada Post strike comes to a resolution. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we are all navigating through this frustrating time. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding hardware shipping costs, please don’t hesitate to contact our team for more information!

The Canadian Government is Providing an Exemption Period on GST and HST Country-Wide

The Government of Canada announced that from December 14th until February 15th 2025, certain essential goods will be exempt from GST/HST country-wide in an effort to put more money into the pockets of Canadian citizens. The tax exemption will be applied to the following categories:
 
  • Prepared foods, including vegetable trays, pre-made meals and salads, and sandwiches.
  • Restaurant meals, whether dine-in, takeout, or delivery.
  • Snacks, including chips, candy, and granola bars.
  • Beer, wine, cider, and pre-mixed alcoholic beverages below 7 per cent ABV
  • Children’s clothing and footwear, car seats, and diapers.
  • Children’s toys, such as board games, dolls, and video game consoles.
  • Books, print newspapers, and puzzles for all ages.
  • Christmas trees.
 
As a merchant of any of these product categories, you will be responsible for excluding the GST/HST at the checkout. Click here for more details on the program and the qualifying product categories. 
 
As always, we are here if you need assistance with making these changes in your Heartland or Retail Pro POS System! Reach out to our team to book a call today and we’ll gladly help you get set up!

Courses, Training, and Mentorship for Shopify Store Owners

If you’re ready to grow your online sales, the experts at Merchant Mastery will help you build your unique offer strategy, optimize your Shopify store, master email marketing and ads, and ultimately scale your revenue!

The Merchant Mastery instructors have built their knowledge-base from their own experiences, so they’ve seen what works, and what doesn’t. From their cumulative work on HUNDREDS of ecommerce campaigns, the strategies you’ll learn have proven to yield results!

Get Your Shopify Store Selling More NOW!

Ecommerce sales rely heavily on your marketing, and marketing is by far the single biggest commitment of time, energy, and money. That HUGE commitment can be handled in one of two ways:

1 – just like any other expense, like office supplies and taxes, as an ongoing cost of doing business; or

2 – as an invest in the future growth and profitability of the store – the very infrastructure that drives the value of your business.

If you’re a Shopify store owner that’s ready to make their marketing expenditure an asset that’s going to drive sales, then Merchant Mastery is for YOU!

How to Create a High-Converting Ecommerce Campaign for Your Online Store

Canadian Retail Solutions’ CEO and retail coach, Dan Holman, joined co-founder of Merchant Mastery, Scott Cunningham, in hosting this FREE webinar!

During this 1 hour session, participants learn all about the 4 key pillars that ACTUALLY drive sales, as well as receive Scott’s popular guide “54 Powerful Offers for Your Online Store” as an added bonus! 

Access the FREE Webinar →