Back in November 2013 a New York Times blog page featured a posted entitled “Small Business Saturday Is Under Attack (From Small Businesses).”
The focus of that piece was criticism of American Express, the company that created the Small Business Saturday promotion. Objections were aired to American Express’s fee structure (AmEx is much more expensive for merchants than Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and especially debit cards), their policy prohibition against merchants directing customers to alternate forms of payment, and more.
Writing this as I am on threshold of the 6th Small Business Saturday, my cynical side is fixating on the implication that by “shopping small” this Saturday, one is now morally/ethically free to shop elsewhere from that point forward.
No! Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday… they’re all gimmicks, all traps. We need to maintain our agency, our capacity for independent thought and remain mindful of what is most important to us in the big picture, and over the long run.
Do we want healthy local communities with distinct personalities? A daily practice of shopping at independent, locally owned businesses the only way to achieve that goal. Restaurants don’t make it on one Big Night.
What local retailers need is not one fantastic day this Saturday, and a slow December because we’ve all gone back to Amazon and the mall. What our local retailers need is our commitment to patronage throughout the holiday season and all year long.
It is no secret: By shopping locally we incur three costs – some travel, more limited selection, and higher prices. However, by shopping locally we enjoy many benefits, not the least of which are these three – better customer service, a better job market, and more vital and livable community.
The benefits to shopping locally greatly outweigh the costs. Understanding this truth takes a little research. Here is a GREAT resource for learning about the benefits of shopping locally, shopping small: www.ilsr.org – the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a forty-year-old economic research organization headquartered in Portland, Maine.
Living “localism” values takes a little mindfulness and discipline. Like diet and exercise, the benefits are clear, but we do have to earn them!
Should we support Small Business Saturday? Absolutely. Every Saturday and the rest of each week, too.