Small Business Saturday 2022: The Santa Clause for Small Businesses
With Thanksgiving less than a week away and Christmas right around the corner, it’s time to bring out the shopping bags. On Saturday, November 26th, get into the holiday spirit by participating in Small Business Saturday, an annual tradition in the United States dedicated to celebrating and supporting local small businesses across the country.
American Express started Small Business Saturday in 2010 out of a deep appreciation for small businesses and the communities they support. The idea was to create a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas to encourage people to shop small and locally for their holiday gifts. Since then, the shopping holiday has grown tremendously, gaining more popularity and bringing small businesses more support every year.
Small Business Saturday doesn’t just mean more holiday sales and shopping fun for consumers; it also means the chance for small businesses to stay afloat and gain loyalty within their communities.
We talked to Rishona Meyers, owner of Olive-Lucy, a small business in Pennsylvania that provides fresh, rare cooking ingredients. This is what she had to say about what Small Business Saturday means to her and her business:
“Small Business Saturday has always been something we have participated in and pride ourselves on being a small business. Being a part of the larger group of small businesses that participate in Small Business Saturday gives us a presence that allows us to compete with the big retail outlets and allows our customers to feel good about supporting their local small business community. We compete for the same dollars and trust that our customers understand the value we bring with our level of service as well as the quality of our products and will continue to shop with us long after Small Business Saturday.”
The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported that 51 million shoppers participated in Small Business Saturday last year, and according to American Express, U.S. shoppers spent more than $20 billion on Small Business Saturday in 2021.
For small business owners, Small Business Saturday may just be the big break your business needs to ring in the new year with a bang. Give the gift of shopping small this holiday season!