The Saturday after Black Friday is Small Business Saturday. This year it’s November 26th – mark it on your calendars.
This is because on this day you need to promise to buy something from a little guy / girl. Think: family-run establishments, Shopify boutiques, Wix website warriors, and local artisans.
It’s a day to counter the wild consumerism of Black Friday and support the future of your local community’s economy.
What is the Sabbath for Small Businesses?
In 2010, at the height of the Great Recession, American Express launched Small Business Saturday, a campaign designed to inspire consumers to shop locally and expand their small business profile. (Any business that employs fewer than 500 people is considered a small business.)
Now always the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday aims to funnel some of our holiday spending to local businesses. Think of Small Business Saturday as a cleanser of all corporate consumption that we indulge in on Black Friday:
Source: Giphy.com
Small Business Sabbath is focused on small businesses, which account for two out of every three jobs added over the past 25 years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are about 32 million independent businesses in the US. They matter.
“Small businesses keep our communities alive,” said Marianne Rausch, vice president of Small Business Saturday & Shop Small, American Express. “They are the lifeblood of our communities, helping to create jobs, boost the economy and enrich our communities.”
Read more: Conscious consumerism: how to spend money with intent
In 2011, even the US Senate passed a resolution supporting small businesses on Saturday.
The day hit an all-time high last year, with US consumer spending totaling $23.3 billion, Rausch said. In total, US consumers have spent about $163 billion on Small Business Saturday since its inception.
As a result of the day’s success and potential, Amex has turned the holiday into a global “Small Store” movement to help more small businesses year round. While Amex created the day, the US Small Business Administration is one of the sponsors. In addition, the non-partisan business group Women Influencing Public Policy is partnering with a credit card company to promote the day.
How to Shop and Maintain on Saturday for Small Businesses
Shop Small Saturday is about more than pulling out a credit or debit card (though that’s certainly part of it).
Here are three ways to get involved:
1. Look for holiday shopping from locals
When you’re budgeting for holiday shopping and/or deciding what gifts to buy, be sure to consider buying from a small business. Invite your family and friends to join you on the Shop Small quest.
And even if you don’t plan on rushing into gift shopping after Thanksgiving, there are still ways you can shop smaller:
- Instead of driving to a car wash at a gas station, visit a car wash and get your car washed by someone who will personalize your trip.
- Do you usually buy Christmas cards from chain pharmacies or large retailers? Why not buy from an independent artist instead?
- Instead of going to a restaurant that plays national commercials, try visiting a restaurant in your hometown that sponsors a local youth sports team.
2. Become a regular customer
While you’re running a small business, be sure to sign up for any rewards and loyalty programs if they have them. Being a repeat customer is important, and not only that, but being on a mailing list means you are likely to find out about upcoming deals and events before the general public.
Also, the spirit of Shop Small Saturday is to make it a habit to shop small all the time, not just as a one-time event.
This is especially true after the Covid-19 shutdowns have taken their toll on so many small businesses and local communities. Nobody wants to live in a ghost town. Charity starts at home.
3. Spread love on social media
After shopping for a small business, go to your social media channels, tag the business in a post, and use the #shopsmall hashtag to promote it. Small business owners may not have millions of dollars in marketing budgets, but they have the power of the people—the consumers—to help them thrive.
There is one motto to remember when interacting with small businesses: if the service is good, tell a friend. If the service is bad, tell the business.
How to Find Participating Small Businesses
Amex has a Shop Small map where shoppers can search by store name, zip code, city or address, and find local businesses that participate. You can click on the website map to see all 411s – address, opening hours, website, etc. For those who prefer to shop online, Amex also has a list of participating online companies.
Source: American Express.
To be clear, even if an independent business isn’t an Amex seller, that doesn’t mean you can’t shop there for small businesses on Saturday. This day is dedicated to supporting the local economy and providing access to businesses that may not have big advertising dollars – not necessarily just about using your Amex payment card.
Why is it important to shop small?
There are many reasons to support small businesses that don’t usually have the budget or resources of large chains, but still provide high-quality services and products worthy of your hard-earned dollars.
Here are a few more reasons:
1. They invest in the local community
Terrell McCoy is co-owner of Gwap Auto Detail & Car Wash in the southern suburbs of Chicago. During the summer, he offers informal internships to local children.
“It’s a way for them to make some money, do something positive, and keep them off the streets,” says McCoy. “This is a good way to help our kids understand that working hard and putting your all into what they want is very important.”
McCoy is like many small business owners who invest locally. Small business owners “donate 250% more than large businesses to local nonprofits and community causes,” according to SCORE, a network of volunteer, experienced business mentors.
Also, according to data compiled by the American Independent Business Alliance, only 13.6% of chain store revenues are recycled locally, but 48% of local independent business revenues are recycled locally.
2. They are more environmentally friendly
Depending on your location, you can walk or bike to a small business, reducing traffic pollution and the use of natural resources.
In addition, local business owners often work with other vendors in the community, reducing the area’s carbon footprint.
According to data from Sustainable Connections, an organization that promotes small businesses, people who live in areas with lots of local businesses accumulate 26% fewer car miles than people who don’t.
Rarely do small businesses contribute to the growth or depletion of ecosystems.
Read more: 12 easy ways to make your money green and protect our planet
3. They create jobs for local people
Corporate firms often send an outside team to work in a new location. For small businesses, this is not the case.
For example, Moriarty’s Gem Art is a family business in Crown Point, Indiana.
“Our family not only designs jewelry, we travel the world in search of gems and cut them in our own shop,” says company owner Jeff Moriarty. “While others may outsource all of their work, our family does everything ourselves.”
Small business employment grew by 919,000 in the second quarter of 2021, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
4. Often they can offer the best price
In smaller geographic areas, independent businesses can make the local area more financially competitive, says Cy Blackbyrne, CEO of the Coach Foundation.
“For example, a local farmer can supply less expensive goods because he doesn’t have to pay for shipping,” Blackbyrne says. “It’s like how an efficient startup can develop new technologies faster than its bumbling bureaucratic rival.”
bottom line
Small business is the backbone of the American economy, and Small Business Saturday is a great way to support it. You can shop with local businesses that invest in the local community, are more environmentally friendly, create local jobs, and can often offer better prices.
So, go ahead and buy smaller!
Featured Image: iJeab/Shutterstock.com