Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving; a day many Americans look forward too in hopes of getting the best shopping deals. It marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and everyone becomes dazzled by the sale signs sitting upon the shelves and tables. But as of lately, Black Friday has spiraled into a Black Week, arriving sooner than we’d like.
Retailers are cutting into Thanksgiving dinner as they have begun opening their stores on Thanksgiving day to start their Black Friday madness, More often than not, you will find that these stores are also moving their best sales to Thanksgiving, in hopes of creating a revenue boost this year.
However, it is possible to avoid the hoopla of Black Friday this year, and still have a small sense of accomplishment on your Christmas shopping.
Small Business Saturday is the day after Black Friday. Started by American Express, they reward their customers by offering small rebates to cardholders who shop local businesses on this day.
In 2010, American Express launched Small Business Saturday to encourage people across the country to support local businesses. The U.S. Senate officially recognized this Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2011, making it an official day. American Express then helped small businesses promote their stores in 2012. They helped the companies through free, personalized ads which appeared online. An estimated $5.5 billions dollars was spent at small businesses that day in 2012.
While shopping on this day may not bring you quite as big of a saving as you were hoping for, it’s more of a gesture than anything. By taking the time to shop small, and shop local, you are helping to build the community in which you live.
For more information on American Express’s Small Business Saturday, visit https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/neighborhoods/joinin. Here you can search and look for local businesses in your are that will be participating. You can also visit http://makemacombyourhome.com/shoplocal/ and access the Make Macomb You Home’s searchable database of over 1,500 independent retailers in the area.
Charter Township of Shelby 