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By Prina Atwal

Small businesses in Medicine Hat feel the effects of inflation

Nov 24, 2022 | 4:57 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The holiday season is a critical time for small businesses, but this year, many small business owners are worried, as they are being hit by economic impacts.

This comes as one way or another, inflation has been affecting small businesses in Medicine Hat, and Anita Haameete, the owner of Oh My Fruit Creations, says there is a lot of uncertainty.

“I am very afraid, at the moment, with Christmas time, normally I already have a lot of orders coming in, now I haven’t gotten any order in yet, it’s usually always last-minute ones, but what are we going to do?”

Haameete adds that shoppers who are coming in are buying smaller gifts.

At Teas-R-Me, Darlene Meyer says another challenge for small business owners are the rising costs, “Ordering tea, I’m trying to keep my prices as low as I possibly can, but it keeps going up and up and up, and for example, I just did a big tea order and it cost me probably about a thousand dollars more than it normally would’ve.”

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Meyer adds that she is trying to keep her business going by offering creative packaging and setting up booths showcasing her tea at various events.

Further, Giving and Receiving Ltd, owner Ryan Bartsoff says he had to make adjustments around the shop to deal with the effects of inflation.

“Our costs have gone up just like everyone else, so we are more careful of how we staff, the timing that we staff, we make sure we’re cognoscitive of the timing of our busy hours, off when our stocks are arriving, and things like that. We are more careful of how we show our product.”

Bartsoff adds he is expecting things to get worse.

Another local business, Rey De Reynes, owner Patrica Reynes says fewer people are choosing to shop at small businesses.

“I can see that most of them buy clothes online, and they don’t shop much here in town, and that’s I think is because they don’t have much like before.”

Reynes adds business is slower than usual, but she’s hoping for it to be busier by the holidays.