Shopping small is a win for your community as well as your sanity
Preparing for one of the biggest annual events takes research, training, stamina and a solid game plan. Only those with the best strategy will come away with their hard-earned trophies — the best Black Friday shopping deals that big box retailers have to offer.
The truly elite Black Friday shoppers left this morning before the newspaper even arrived.
For the rest of us, shall we say “amateur” holiday shoppers, there are great deals and a ton of fun to be had by shopping small this weekend.
Small Business Saturday, also known as “Shop Small Saturday,” is an annual day dedicated to supporting local small businesses. It’s slated for Saturday, but we’re publishing this editorial today to advocate for shopping small throughout the entire weekend and the entire year.
The country’s 33 million small businesses form the backbone of the U.S. economy, representing 44% of all domestic economic activity. Those businesses were hit particularly hard by the COVID pandemic shutdowns that exaggerated the advantages of online-only and big-box stores over small, in-person, brick-and-mortar operations. A 2021 Lendingtree survey found that 63% of Americans know of a small business in their community that permanently closed due to the pandemic.
Fortunately, we can help.
The U.S. Small Business administration reports that spending at independent retailers and restaurants is up over the past year — including a record-breaking $23.3 billion on Small Business Saturday 2021. Yet many small businesses, especially those who rely on foot traffic, are still struggling to fully recover.
The Biden administration made supporting Main Street a top priority in this year’s budget cycle, using oversight of federal contracts to direct more money into small businesses. In total, a record-breaking $154.2 billion in government contracts was awarded to small businesses in 2022. Of those contracts, more than two-thirds went to businesses owned and operated by women, veterans of the U.S. armed forces and historically disadvantaged communities.
All of that money was going to be spent on government goods and services anyway, but the Biden administration ensured it stayed in local economies supporting middle-class Americans who pay living wages rather than foreign-owned conglomerates with questionable human-rights records. According to American Express, 67 cents of every dollar spent in a small business stays in the local community.
Supporting your friends, family and neighbors who own their own businesses should be a goal year-round, but Small Business Saturday offers a special chance to focus holiday shopping on local retailers, giving them a boost as they head into the close of the year.
In turn, local retailers pay local municipal taxes and are more likely to spend their money locally as well, creating a robust, stable and resilient local economy. They’re also more likely than their large corporate counterparts to support community organizations and events like Little League, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, senior centers, and local high school clubs and organizations. A 2019 SCORE survey found that small businesses donate 250% more than larger businesses to local nonprofits and community causes.
Unlike the seemingly endless line of aggressive shoppers who seem to come out of the woodwork in droves on Black Friday, shopping locally often provides opportunities to visit with friends and neighbors while finding one-of-a-kind gifts made by local artists. The current edition of Las Vegas Weekly is continuing a holiday tradition by publishing a creative gift guide featuring local businesses.
And shopping at local brick-and-mortar stores can give you the opportunity to see and hold your product in your hands before you pay for it, giving you the peace of mind that your purchase is of the highest quality and won’t be delayed by international shipping or supply-line backups.
Similarly, eating at local restaurants can lead to discovering incredibly talented 5-star caliber chefs living quietly in your own community, creating innovative dishes you’re sure to love. Just remember to order takeout directly over the phone or from the restaurant’s website. Third-party apps take a significant cut from restaurants and cafes, with some fees increased for lower-volume local businesses compared with big chains.
So this weekend, we hope you’ll get out and spend big while shopping small. Tell your friends and turn shopping into a fun social event. Together we can support small businesses and help create thriving communities.