Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Thrifty Thinking: Small Business Saturday

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is encouraging consumers to visit their local small businesses this Saturday. Partnering for the seventh year in a row with American Express, they are promoting a national campaign to “shop small” here in Minnesota.
“Traditionally, the holiday shopping season has kicked off with Black Friday, but we are encouraged each year by the number of people that are participating in small business Saturday. Last year it was its largest ever, with 112 million shoppers patronizing small businesses throughout the country,” said Mike Hickey, Minnesota State Director for NFIB. “The idea is simple: Instead of sitting at home and ordering online or driving to the nearest shopping center or big-box store, you shop at small, locally-owned businesses for things you simply cannot find at the mall.”
The campaign to “shop small” on the Saturday after Thanksgiving began in 2010 to help small businesses that were struggling to recover from the great recession. Last year,according to the post-holiday survey released by NFIB and American Express, 15.4 billion dollars were spent in small businesses nationwide.
“Small Business Saturday isn’t about getting up before dawn, fighting traffic, jostling with crowds and standing in long lines to save a few bucks. It is a day to celebrate and support the small, family-run businesses that do so much throughout the year to support our community,” continued Hickey. “And instead of dealing with temporary workers who don’t know the merchandise, you’re likely to deal directly with the owner, who has a vested interest not only in selling you something that day but in making you want to come back time and again throughout the year.”
Hickey added that money spent in a small business, for the most part, remains in that community. “When you shop at a chain store, most of the money goes back to some corporate office somewhere, but when you shop on Main Street, that money stays on Main Street.”
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NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists sends their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information is available online at www.NFIB.com/news. 

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