For 20 years Gary Nerman has relied on the postal service to mail items from this his Osborne bookstore to customers all over Canada and the United States.
"When we first started we used Canada Post almost a 100 per cent," Nerman said.
He explained that after the last Canada Post work stoppage in 2011 he was forced to discover new ways to ship.
With the possibility of another work stoppage looming, he is better prepared and less reliant on just Canada Post.
"It won't be disastrous for us but it will hurt a little bit, sure," he added.
On Tuesday, Canada post issued a 72-hour lockout notice to the union representing postal workers, raising the likelihood of a work stoppage starting Friday.
The major sticking point in the prolonged negotiations is changes to employee pension plans.
"Volume is up I would say about 25 percent at this point," said Scott Lins, president of Sierra Courier in Winnipeg.
Lins said in anticipation of a Canada Post lockout, his company has brought on extra staff, while at the same time keeping a close eye on the negotiations.
"We do have to wait for that decision before we jump in with both feet," he said.
While Canada Post and the workers union both said they will negotiate right up until the deadline, Gary Nerman is holding out some hope he will not have to desert the service entirely.
"It will definitely be annoying and hopefully it gets resolved quickly," Nerman added.
