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By Karl T. Heck

Franklin Southampton Economic Development Inc.

Saturday, Nov. 26, is Small Business Saturday.

For over a decade, Small Business Saturday has been celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage the nation’s shoppers to support local small businesses for their holiday purchasing.

The campaign, introduced by American Express in 2010, was initiated to promote business in the years immediately following the Great Recession.

Small Business Saturday was officially adopted in 2011 by the U.S. Senate (S.Res.320) to designate the day in support of the effort and to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and their impact on the U.S. economy.

A recent U.S. survey (Intuit/MintLife) shows that 57% of consumers say they prefer to shop local to keep the money close to home, and 38% of consumers support local businesses to feel more connected to their community.

A total of 108 million shoppers spent more than $12.9 billion during the 2020 Small Business Saturday compared to $20 billion in 2019. The downturn was undoubtedly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One study led by economists at the University of Chicago showed that voluntary social distancing made up nearly 90% of the reduction in consumer traffic during 2020. Stay-at-home ordering, easy one-click buys and free shipping deals stole the holiday shopping thunder in both 2020 and 2021 and unfortunately are now part of the new norm. As a result, sales to small businesses have decreased, which has had a significant impact on their ability to remain open or be profitable.

For 2022, it is more important than ever to re-think and re-direct our shopping habits back home.

What can we do to improve the statistics? It’s very simple. Get out there and do your holiday shopping with local businesses right here in Franklin Southampton on Nov. 26, Small Business Saturday. No waiting on back orders and no added shipping costs. Take your gifts home, same day… all while contributing to the local economy. It just makes sense.

For the ninth consecutive year, Franklin Southampton Economic Development Inc. is a registered Neighborhood Champion for Small Business Saturday and the Shop Small campaign. We join approximately 7,500 champions across the country, with all 50 states participating in the program. We can all agree that spending money locally puts it directly back into our community businesses. It also helps those who operate small businesses to keep their doors open, create more jobs and add to the quality of life for us all.

FSEDI thanks you for keeping it local and shopping small on Nov. 26, Small Business Saturday, and all year long.