The postal strikes have cost my business £2,000 – but I still support them

Last month, I wrote to my clients, “Get your order now,” “stock!”

This was not a pre Christmas sales promotion. My webstore sells CBD oil which, for some, can be a lifeline.

I knew what was coming after having already witnessed the chaos caused by Royal Mail’s actions at the end of summer.

I was right. Absolute chaos is the only way to describe the past few week.

The strikes have cost me about £2,000 this month. I have had clients call me in desperate situations to complain that they have not received their mail. Sometimes I have had to drive 100 miles from my St Neots home to deliver the orders personally.

Despite the loss of income, additional stress and potential permanent damage my business may sustain, I am 100% for industrial action.

Why?

Because these workers don’t get enough pay, I believe that strike action is the only way to get our distant leaders to listen.

After looking for an alternative, CBD Angel was created five years ago. It was found in cannabidiol which is an active ingredient in cannabis.

It doesn’t make you high, but many people claim it helps with everything, from anxiety to insomnia to pain relief to anxiety to epileptic seizures.

I have approximately 2,500 clients. I process 25 orders per day and send them first class registered delivery. I strive to provide a personal service and often spend hours chatting with customers. Sometimes I feel like a mix of an unqualified doctor, a struggling aunt, or a social worker.

I learned that CBD is an alternative medicine for many people. If it doesn’t show up it’s even more dangerous than a birthday gift. For me, my heart beats louder than my wallet.

Then the phone calls and messages started — emails hitting my inbox, direct messages on my Instagram account from people feeling upset or panicked. It’s impossible not to be moved. And I won’t lie, it was heartbreaking at times.

My balance sheet is also under stress. Sales are down £1,500 compared to this time last year, regular customers citing strikes, and a further £600 is lost issuing refunds for lost or late orders, or sending them again.

After her order had failed to arrive, one returning customer said, “This must be a lot of money.”

I said: – It is. “But what do I do?”

You are not the only one. Other business owners are in terrible situations.

But my hardships are not comparable to people’s suffering Is it true?Managing this country is like managing a hospital.

I consider myself lucky that I have another Airbnb property to run. Jimmy, my husband, makes a decent living plastering.

We have lived comfortably for many years, but the cost-of-living crisis has forced us to pause and reflect. It is now a part of the daily lives of the middle class. The whole country has become aware of the situation.

What effect does it have upon these striking workers if it affects us? Some people are now dependent upon food banks because of it. I will not be in a position to feed my family on the income they make.