A few changes are in the works…you are all no doubt aware of the new Ontario labour regulations (Bill C-148) with the obvious (and sometimes less obvious) change that it will bring to almost every workplace in the Province, including ours. The impact of this legislation on our store will be considerable because we have quite a few entry-level jobs, and our business involves a great deal of handmade work that is difficult to do otherwise. The ramifications are fairly wide-ranging for us and our industry, as these new costs will be absorbed into the production and handling charges of products and ingredients that we buy, plus the higher labour costs will have to be added. All these changes will take some time, and no doubt there will be some surprises along the way. At the same time, I want to say that we really value the folk who have chosen to work with us, and don’t wish in any way to place this burden on them. Further, we are not about to change our products or our level and quality of service.
In an attempt to balance at least some of these costs, we’ve decided to finally institute a plastic bag charge that we have resisted for a long time. It will be 5 cents, pretty much the same as everyone else, and just so you know, that doesn’t even cover the cost of our bags. I encourage you to bring your own if you can. The second change is implementing a credit card surcharge of 1%, which will not cover but rather mitigate the fees we pay the credit card companies. As any long-time supporters would know, we have only accepted credit cards in the last 5 years, and we have seen the handling fees for these balloon to what is now almost $200,000 per year; all despite our efforts to procure the best deal possible. There will be no surcharge for debit card payments, which we encourage you to consider.
We greatly value the privilege of serving you and your family here in Unionville, and as such, we felt it was important to explain our situation to you. We very much appreciate your understanding.
These changes will be effective starting February 20th, 2018.