Small Business Saturday supports local retail stores

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

You’ve shopped your Black Friday deals, but now it is time to support small business with Small Business Saturday.

The Saturday after Black Friday is designated as Small Business Saturday by the Small Business Administration. It was initiated in 2010 by American Express as a means of supporting those “mom and pop” operations who can be overlooked by the hype generated by larger stores for Black Friday deals.

Small Business Saturday is now an annual shopping tradition that encourages consumers to support local, independently-owned businesses.

The primary goal of Small Business Saturday is to encourage consumers to shop at local, independently-owned businesses rather than large retail chains. By doing so, communities can boost their local economies, create jobs, and foster a sense of community.

Historically, reported projected spending among U.S. consumers who shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday reached an estimated $17.9 billion according to the 2022 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey commissioned by American Express.

At last report, 99.3 percent of Mississippi’s businesses, or 262,272 businesses, are considered small businesses.

Of that total, DeSoto County has 3,183 small establishments or 99.9 percent of all businesses.