Small Business Saturday: Service Beats Stress

The pre-holiday weeks are a major sales period for all businesses, as consumers rush to both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce outlets to shop. Black Friday has become a somewhat ominous symbol of this trend, but it is led by larger scale retailers with the resources and inventory that is required to make room for deep, temporary price cuts. What’s a small business to do? Skip Black Friday and go straight to Small Business Saturday, of course!

Small Business Saturday was originally created by American Express as a way to get customers incentivized to shop at merchants that accepted its card, in exchange for gift reimbursements. It has evolved beyond its corporate origins, however, to represent the power of local business and its importance to local economies.
Many consumers feel stressed out and pressured by the intense rush of Black Friday lineups and limited stock of items. Even if a small business cannot compete against the economy of scale of a Black Friday sale, they can promote Small Business Saturday as a way for their customers to shop locally and avoid the frenzied pace of Black Friday. By focusing on the personality and service-minded strengths of your small business, you can attract customers fed up with fighting over deals.
In Canada, small businesses employ 70% of the private sector – a massive contribution to our economic health as a nation. Small Business Saturday emphasizes the contribution small businesses can make, and the importance of keeping money in local economies for the benefit of Canadians everywhere. Black Friday may be the big dog of holiday savings, but getting out the word about Small Business Saturday can make a real difference.