Calgary-area store owner anxious about holiday shopping season amid supply chain slowdowns
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jazon Gatela found himself at home with his kids, playing a lot of video games.
After learning that a lot of other people were doing the same thing, he decided to open Senshen, a store in New Horizon Mall dedicated to outdoor adventure products and video games – including retro ones.
"I found a passion to sell some of the stuff that people are interested in," said Gatela. "They're going back to their childhood memories."
Gatela says he has had no problem finding customers, but he has faced challenges getting products.
His store has been open for nearly two years and has been plagued by global supply chain issues from the start.
He complains many of the games and toys he is selling took months to arrive from overseas.
Last spring, he pre-sold paddle boards to customers wanting to use them in the summer. Despite it now being November, some still haven't arrived, forcing Gatela to issue refunds and deal with frustrated customers.
Heading into the busy holiday shopping season, it's only getting worse.
"The shipping itself… before, our experience was only three months," he said. "Now, they will tell you from three months to one year, and there is no guarantee that it will arrive on time. And the price is ridiculous, its super expensive."
Gatela says most of his product, especially electronics, comes from overseas and that's where the delays start.
He says wholesalers are encouraging retailers to place bigger, single orders rather than smaller ones every few months, given the delays.
However, Gatela is hoping to find more items within North American to put on his shelves while also increasing his reliance by reselling used video games, which he can simply buy from local customers.
He also hopes his customers will cut retailers some slack.
"People are getting impatient," he said. "It works out one a bad review on my website. I end up refunding money and all that stuff, and it can be a terrible experience."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.