Flowers are delivered locally, while gifts are transported across the Maritimes by bus.
Due to pandemic regulations in the province, several Island businesses are swamped with local delivery this holiday season.
Following Tuesday’s declaration that all people landing at P.E.I. must self-isolate for at least four days, with the quarantine timeframe varying depending on vaccination status, business at Flower Buds in Charlottetown picked up.
According to Vikki Sweeney, co-owner of Flower Buds, the announcement has had no impact on commerce.
“Those who are isolated are pleading with us to deliver it to them or to their family members with whom they were planning to enjoy Christmas,” she said.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure they’re all taken care of.”
According to Sweeney, many people are sending flowers “in lieu” of being able to visit their loved ones throughout the Christmas season.
“In a couple of days, we’ve witnessed a significant increase. A significant number of pickups have been converted to deliveries. Many folks were planning on picking up centrepieces and carrying them home, but now they want them delivered “she stated “We’re in a bit of a panic.”
Christmas centrepieces, which include items like pine and fir boughs, magnolia, cones, berries, as well as Carolina sapphire and B.C. cedar, are a huge driver for the firm right now.
“We have a lot of merchandise. We have a lot of food in the fridge that we need to get to “she stated
While the company had to take the phone off the hook for a few hours Wednesday morning to catch up on orders, and some employees had to work until midnight the previous several nights, Sweeney said that orders are still being taken — but warned that the shop will be closed on Christmas Eve.
It’s also a busy time for individuals that send packages throughout Atlantic Canada. Same-day parcel delivery is available through Maritime Bus. Maritime Bus passengers have been substituted with goods as more individuals are forced to stay in the region.
Maritime Bus had to add some reinforcements to its fleet of buses that transport passengers throughout the region.
“We were so nervous that we wouldn’t be able to meet our clients’ delivery expectations so we went out and chartered a 26-foot U-Haul truck, which they luckily had,” said Mike Cassidy, owner of Maritime Bus.
“We have that truck moving on and off P.E.I. simply to fetch parcels off the Island and bring parcels back onto the Island,” says the driver.
Over 1,000 parcels were delivered to bus stations in the Maritimes after Tuesday’s announcement of tightened restrictions, according to Cassidy.
