How to Support Local Retailers on 'Small Business Saturday'

America celebrates "Small Business Saturday" today with special celebrations everywhere from Houston, Texas to Buffalo, New York NBC News reports:Sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday - historically the biggest and busiest retail days of the year - there's another standout shopping event: Small Business Saturday. Started by American Express in 2010 and co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration since 2011, Small Business Saturday aims to create awareness about the impact shoppers have when they buy "small" year round, whether they physically visit stores or shop online. This year, 85% of consumers say they're likely to shop "small" during the holiday season, according to the American Express 2023 Shop Small Impact Study. That represents a multibillion dollar opportunity - consumers are expected to spend an estimated $125 billion at small businesses this holiday season, up 42% from $88 billion in 2022, as reported by Intuit QuickBooks. Like CBS News, NBC has compiled its list of small businesses that can ship their products to you - and suggests leaving positive reviews online for your favorite small businesses. ("Amazon, for example, now adds badges to product pages on its site if items are sold by small businesses.")They also recommend interacting with your favorite small businesses on social media - while "the American Express small-business map allows you to input your zip code so it can recommend local shops in your area and beyond. Google also has a 'small business' filter on desktop and mobile, and one for Google Maps on mobile." The UK's "Small Business Saturday" will happen next week, on the first Saturday in December.

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