Saturday, Nov. 24, has been declared as “Small Business Saturday,” a day to support local small businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Americans are encouraged to support locally owned small businesses by doing some of their holiday shopping on the Saturday after Thanksgiving at small businesses.
American Express founded the day in 2010 to help small businesses get exposure during the holiday season, when they might be otherwise overlooked. Small Business Saturday is positioned between Black Friday, the post-Thanksgiving event when shoppers swarm the malls to begin their seasonal shopping in earnest, and Cyber Monday, the day following the long weekend when online retailers see upticks in sales.
Shopping on Small Business Saturday is the perfect way to give back to the businesses you know and love in your community, the credit card company said. It estimates that 100 million people nationwide participated in Small Business Saturday last year by shopping at locally owned stores to help boost the economy and their communities. It’s estimated that small businesses have generated two out of every three net new jobs over the past 15 years and employ more than half of all private sector employees. More information about Small Business Saturday can be found at www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/Shop-Small/.
