It’s no secret that this time of year is great for all businesses alike. The majority of retailers have their highest profit gains during the holiday season. However, local retailers typically do not see quite the increase in sales as larger corporate retailers do.
Small Business Saturday, an initiative created by American Express in 2010, is more than an effort to support our small business; it refocuses mainstream attention back to what the holidays are supposed to be about: giving.
Of course it’s a cliché about as used as an old pair of boots, but it seems the season of giving always struggles to be portrayed as such. With the monstrosity of Black Friday to kick off the holiday season, it’s no wonder society is blinded to the reason for the season.
For many, Thanksgiving dinner is topped off with a Best Buy stakeout. Holding spots in line like fraternity pledges the night before College Gameday, shoppers are grossly obsessed with the premonition that they’re in dire need to take advantage of that discount.
But instead of the outright storming of the department store castle on Friday, Small Business Saturday is a sweet little way to slow down our shopping and enjoy the Christmas music over the store’s PA system. It’s motivation to get us to give back to the local community and keep our stores’ doors open.
According to dailyfinance.com, about 76 percent of consumers say the reason they supported small businesses this past Saturday is because of the contribution to the local community small businesses make.
But by broadcasting support for small business, Small Business Saturday fuels the flame that gives back to the community. Shopping small puts the money into a business that contributes to the community, creating a cycle of economic support.
After being all-but-forgotten through the mess of corporate discounts offered on Black Friday and the constant advertisement of corporate sales during the upcoming weeks, local shops are given a chance to gain some of their own recognition.
Even if they’re not officially partaking in the American Express event, small businesses have been benefitting from an increase of basic general awareness. Numbers across the country are reporting an increase in local shoppers on Small Business Saturday, especially in local eateries.
Nothing gets me more fired up than a local restaurant. Places like Zeeland Street Café and Yvette Marie’s Café, both within close proximity of the Garden District, are epitomes of local eat joints that serve more than just tasty food.
Local shops and restaurants offer an experience, and that is what really makes them valuable. They aren’t managed and employed by the everyday stranger. The local shop is the heart of the hometown feel, and Small Business Saturday has become a true champion of the American hometown.
Endorsing small business like this has created an opportunity for the local shopper to become more aware. Local shop owners are hoping that through Small Business Saturday, shoppers may be so pleased they would actually become year-round shoppers.
Though it will most likely never harvest the near 1 million mentions on Twitter Black Friday did, small business owners value the enterprise created by Small Business Saturday with much appreciation.
Small Business Saturday is another mechanism to keep the American dream alive. Even though the United States hasn’t been the underdog since 1776, the underdog is the protagonist of the American Dream.
