Shops urge people to shop in store instead of online

People should spell into immoderate stores alternatively than trust connected online buying if they privation to get Christmas gifts connected time, retailers person said, arsenic postal strikes hold parcel deliveries.

"That's the proposal we're giving," the brag of bookseller Waterstones said.

If buying from smaller retailers, buying successful store volition guarantee "certainty", the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) said.

It comes arsenic Royal Mail unit proceed onslaught action.

Postal workers are acceptable to locomotion retired again connected Thursday, marking the 4th of six onslaught days crossed the festive season, successful a enactment implicit wage and conditions.

As a result, letters and parcel deliveries are being delayed.

Many larger retailers person their ain organisation networks oregon deals with courier firms.

But the UK's largest publication chain, Waterstones, is informing customers connected its website that the Royal Mail strikes are apt to effect successful "some hold to our quoted transportation times".

Its main executive, James Daunt, told the BBC that buying books successful shops is the champion enactment fixed the onslaught disruption.

"If radical privation to beryllium definite of getting deliveries successful clip for Christmas, they request to spell into stores," Mr Daunt said. "That's decidedly the proposal we're giving."

Waterstones has much than 300 stores crossed the UK. This means it is successful a precise antithetic presumption to those retailers who don't person a carnal presence, arsenic helium acknowledged.

"I cognize it's casual for america to accidental spell into shops, arsenic we're a nationalist retailer," helium said.

"It's the autarkic retailers each implicit the state who volition beryllium suffering the astir from this. I consciousness desperately atrocious for them.

"For nationalist retailers, it's much swings and roundabouts. What we suffer online, we marque successful stores."

Andrew Goodacre, the seat of Bira, said that if customers privation to beryllium assured of getting their Christmas gifts connected time, their champion stake is to spell and bargain them successful person.

"To guarantee you get your Christmas gifts connected time, we are advising radical to spell into shops," Mr Goodacre told the BBC.

"We would ever accidental that anyhow arsenic we'd ever beforehand a steadfast vibrant High Street, but erstwhile there's truthful overmuch disruption, not conscionable with postal strikes, but obstruction strikes too, if customers privation certainty connected Christmas orders, champion to bid online, and cod successful store."

But Mr Goodacre warned that it's a hard concern for tiny retailers, galore of whom volition beryllium reliant connected Royal Mail to marque deliveries.

He said retailers volition person been hoping to maximise income astatine Christmas time, and the strikes could marque that harder.

"They volition bash their champion but it's a situation they could bash without."

Meanwhile, the Booksellers Association said the "uncertainty" astir parcel transportation dates is apt to propulsion radical to the High Streets to get their Christmas gifts.

"This could person the affirmative effect of creating much postulation connected High Streets and much footfall for bricks and mortar retailers," said Meryl Halls, managing manager of the Booksellers Association.

"If the metallic lining from the precise challenging concern astir Royal Mail strikes does assistance nutrient engaged section High Streets this Christmas, galore bookshops volition beryllium pleased to invited the accrued traffic."

The postal idiosyncratic walkouts coincide with the busiest clip of twelvemonth for Royal Mail erstwhile radical and businesses are sending Christmas cards and presents.

Some parcel companies assertion the walkouts are having a knock-on effect, and forcing them to hold next-day deliveries arsenic radical and firms question alternate ways to nonstop their post.

As good arsenic holding strikes this week, 115,000 Royal Mail workers from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) volition besides instrumentality concern enactment connected 23 December and Christmas Eve.

The quality has been going connected since the summertime and similar each the concern enactment crossed rail, the NHS, teachers, borderline unit and driving examiners, wage is simply a cardinal issue.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said the institution had made a "best and last wage connection worthy up to 9% implicit 18 months".

"Instead of moving with america to hold connected changes required to money that connection and get wage into our posties' pockets, the CWU has announced plans to ballot successful the New Year for further onslaught action."

But a spokesperson for the CWU said that Royal Mail has offered workers a 3% wage emergence this year, 3% adjacent twelvemonth arsenic good arsenic an further 2% if employees hold to "the implicit destruction" of presumption and conditions.

The national has said the strikes are partially astir the "Uberisation" of the postal service, including "widespread changes... introducing Uber-style owner-drivers, message centre closures and changes to Sunday working".