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![\"MIKE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3764968_web1_251125-tariffs-Whodunit-0024.jpg\")
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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Wendy Bumsted and son Michael Bumsted, at Whodunit Mystery Bookstore on Lilac Street, have had more difficulty with delays in shipping than the tariffs themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201c(It) prevented us from starting to carry a product that we were excited about,\u201d Michael Bumsted said, pointing to the book nook.<\/p>\n
Manitoba retailers are feeling ripple effects of United States-led global trade wars as the holiday season approaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, it\u2019s the unpredictability,\u201d Bumstead said Tuesday. \u201cIt\u2019s more about delays and timing than it is about the tariffs themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Transport companies are learning new rules and, often, import costs from the U.S. are higher than in the past. It\u2019s hard to know what a book\u2019s final price or arrival date might be, Michael said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur sales are affected by books not getting here on time,\u201d added Wendy Bumsted, the shop owner and Michael\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no way around it: Whodunit can\u2019t choose where novels are printed, the Bumsteds said. Meantime, higher costs of paper and ink are affecting their sale prices.<\/p>\n
A Henderson Highway music instrument shop and a Corydon Avenue women\u2019s clothing outlet have both passed along price hikes due to new tariffs globally.<\/p>\n
Still, U.S. tariffs generally aren\u2019t leading to noticeable cost increases on holiday presents, said John Graham, the Retail Council of Canada\u2019s director of government relations for the Prairies.<\/p>\n
Canada removed 25 per cent counter-tariffs on most U.S. imports in September. Supply chains are more predictable, there\u2019s lower inflation and a softer global economy, Graham listed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith CUSMA (the Canada\u2013United States\u2013Mexico Agreement) in place, at this point, there is a level of protection against price inflation,\u201d Graham said. \u201cAt the same time, we\u2019re seeing retailers aggressively compete for business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manitoba saw a 2.9 per cent year-over-year increase in its inflation rate last October (excluding food). Its clothing and footwear sector saw a one per cent year-over-year change.<\/p>\n
Nationally, toys and audio equipment were less expensive \u2014 by 1.3 and 3.9 per cent, respectively \u2014 year-over-year in October, Statistics Canada data compiled by the Retail Council show.<\/p>\n
Large retailers are shipping directly to Canada instead of routing goods through the United States, Graham said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the counter-tariffs dropped, that was like the best thing that could happen for us,\u201d said Trish Wittmann, co-owner of Riley Grae.<\/p>\n
Small U.S. vendors consume roughly 40 per cent of the Corydon Avenue gift shop\u2019s stock. The makers are hard to replace, Wittmann said: \u201cArtists have their own style.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another 40 per cent of Riley Grae is filled with Canadian products. The store used to get American orders online, but that\u2019s dried up, Wittmann said. She figures her U.S. customers are confused over how much they\u2019ll pay in shipping costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we have something here made in China or France or the U.K. or Canada, it\u2019s all variable tariff rates,\u201d Wittmann said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s too much for me to know and learn. That\u2019s something, sadly, the U.S. folks need to be aware of.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whodunit Mystery Bookstore is asked about books\u2019 countries of origin \u2014 down to the province or state \u2014 before they cross the border.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really difficult, if a book was printed in the 1970s, to really decode,\u201d said Michael, whose shop sells used and new books.<\/p>\n
Whodunit has stopped promoting U.S. shipments. Previously, it might send two or three orders south per week.<\/p>\n
A Little Art Boutique fills its shelves with Canadian makers, including wares from Manitoba. Tariffs may have trickled into some prices, said owner Kelly Radcliffe.<\/p>\n
Supplies that Canadian artists use may be subject to price increases. And ultimately, that lands with the customer, Radcliffe noted, adding entrepreneurs have shifted to more expensive couriers following Canada Post strikes.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut of all the holiday seasons, this one is\u2026 important because of what\u2019s going on, to shop local or Canadian,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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She\u2019s tracked more people shopping at A Little Art Boutique this year. A \u2018buy Canadian\u2019 push helps, Radcliffe said, though word of mouth is also a driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s obviously been a very difficult year for small businesses who have had to deal with all the uncertainty that comes around this trade war,\u201d said Tyler Slobogian, a senior policy analyst for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.<\/p>\n
Half of CFIB members have reported higher expenses due to tariffs, Slobogian said. He\u2019s also clocked new local business competition: ChatGPT.<\/p>\n
Walmart and Shopify have inked deals with Open AI to allow for purchases through ChatGPT. Shoppers are increasingly using ChatGPT for gift suggestions, making retail more competitive this year, said Graham from the Retail Council.<\/p>\n
gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n
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Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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