In support of our local businesses this holiday season.
November 26th is a very important day for Small Businesses. And it is also a very important day for shoppers to vote with your wallets
Small business drives our economy and as you know our economy is hurting big time with no end in sight. Small businesses represent 99 percent of U.S. employers and employ about half of the nation’s private-sector workforce..
We continue to modify our behavior and shop the big box stores, looking for the best deals, using Living Social, Groupon, Google and Amazon local deals. We are also fully connected via our mobile devices so we can have deals sent to us, activated when we walk by a participating retailer. We can check in via FourSquare, SCVNGR and FaceBook and we can search the web for deals on just about anything. As I said, the economy is tough, so we are all looking for deals.
Many of these very cool and engaging technologies are not yet embraced by small businesses as they just do not have the resources to capitalize on all of these proactive traffic building and response tools. Many small businesses have used these services, but they cannot maintain the frequency necessary to capture your mind share.
Small Business Saturday is about Main Street, not Wall Street. It’s about entrepreneurs and families selling things that the chains and e-commerce companies aren’t. Only small businesses can offer truly unique gifts and the most genuinely friendly customer service.
Small Business Saturday is also about supporting the local economy. The chain stores are owned by bigger companies that are probably based somewhere other than your hometown, but small businesses are usually owned by your neighbors. When you shop at a small business, you’re supporting your local economy and your local job base.
So here’s the deal. Go shopping on November 26th but only go to your local merchants. Or as you are putting your holiday budget together, allocate 1/3rd of it to support your local community. They will have a great holiday season, you will get great service and a big smile and you will exemplify what the holidays are all about – GIVING!
Happy Small Business Shopping on November 26th and for all the rest of the days leading up to your special holiday celebration.
Webman
Webman's View 