By Jessica Miller
The popular Small Business Saturday campaign is a day during the gift-shopping season that encourages gift-givers to shop at small businesses in addition to shopping at larger, corporate chains. American Express initiated the campaign in 2010 as a counterpart to Black Friday’s unofficial designation as a shopping kickoff; the US Small Business Association joined the campaign in 2011 and since. Christmas, Hanukkah, and other December festivities that are observed with gatherings and gifts being exchanged are just as happily celebrated with items that didn’t require camping overnight in a line, a stampede shown on the evening news, or scrambling to find the right promo code at checkout. Small Business Saturday helps shoppers avoid these unpleasant scenarios and has the added benefit of bringing vital visual and foot traffic to small businesses in neighborhoods across the United States.
One Saturday of the year with more people moving through the neighborhood may not initially seem to be an impactful day for small businesses. However, per the US Small Business Association, shoppers who patronized independent restaurants and shops generated $17.9 billion dollars in revenue for the 32 million small businesses impacted by Small Business Saturday. Just as larger chains find sustainability and profit on the strength of Black Friday sales and shopper volume, it is easier to understand what this one-day boost does on a micro scale.
The impact of Small Business Saturday is especially easy to comprehend when one factors in what a successful business adds to the local economy. $.67 of each dollar spent locally stays within its community. Taxes, sponsorships, and donations are part of these two thirds of a dollar. Another mathematics-related 2/3 fraction fact that reinforces why small businesses are a local asset is that two out of three net new jobs are from small businesses. Finally, every ten jobs at one small business supports seven other jobs in the community. There are a lot of numbers and a lot of fractions in these facts, but they do provide mathematical confirmation of what a local shop or dining establishment brings to a neighborhood.
The next Small Business Saturday is this Saturday, November 25, 2023. Shoppers who choose to spend time and dollars in their communities help keep their Main Streets vital and lively—all year round.