Small Business Saturday a chance to help the local retailers
BY World's Editorials Writers
Monday, November 19, 2012
11/19/12 at 2:43 AM
OK, we all need a scorecard: Turkey Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Free Shipping Day, etc., etc. There's one day, however, that could go a long way toward supporting local businesses. Mark your calendar for Nov. 24 - Small Business Saturday.
"Black Friday is when people like to get up early and line up outside the chain stores, but if you're looking for something unique and want to support your friends and neighbors, then you need to support Small Business Saturday," says Jerrod Shouse, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, the state's largest small-business association.
According to the inaugural Small Business Saturday Insights Survey, released earlier this month by NFIB and American Express, nearly half of all independent merchants plan to incorporate Small Business Saturday into their holiday marketing plans, while 67 percent plan to offer special discounts that Saturday.
Supporting small businesses at the holidays pays off throughout the year.
"Small and independent business owners are among the most generous supporters of civic groups, local charities, youth sports, schools and virtually every other form of community activity," he said. Shopping locally is the best way for people to help their friends and neighbors and create jobs and opportunities.
The holiday shopping season undeniably is absolutely crucial to the state's small businesses. A large portion of these businesses' bottom line rests on holiday sales.
According to the NFIB Small-Business Optimism Index for October, the No. 1 problem facing small businesses remains weak sales. These businesses have felt the effects of the recession that began four years ago and has been followed by a slow recovery.
The holidays are the most hectic time of the year. It easy to rationalize flipping open a catalog and ordering on line. But keep some things in mind: Online merchants often don't support local youth clubs, put the local high school football game schedule in the window, donate items to local causes. And when it comes to paying local and state sales taxes, it is the small-business people filling the municipal and state coffers.
Original Print Headline: Small business
