Ottawa's transit strike and economic unease is taking a toll on local retailers, especially during what would normally be a busy holiday shopping weekend.
At Bayshore Shopping Centre, Rathna Raghupathy and Ritesh Sannakki had less to spend because of taxi expenses.
"We are not able to shop properly because of the strike," Sannakki said.
Some mall employees were sharing rides, while others walked to work.
The Rideau Centre, which relies on bus traffic for half its customers, is also suffering, from retail to movie ticket sales.
A mall spokesperson said that if bus service doesn't resume by mid-week, businesses will be unable to recoup their losses until next year.
"The past few days traffic has been a little slow, this time of year there should be a lot more people than right now," said Keo Tang, who has owned a jewelry store for 26 years.
"Christmas sales are very important to us. It makes up a big chunk of the year's expenses and it's you know, profit for the year so this is going to affect us big time."
No new talks are scheduled between the City of Ottawa and the Amalgamated Transit Union. About 2,200 drivers, dispatchers and maintenance workers walked out Wednesday. The main issue is control over scheduling.
With reports from CTV Ottawa's Natalie Pierosara and Maggie Padlewska
