I'm a champion of small business – but I hate Small Business Saturday | Gene Marks

The annual US celebration of small businesses is demeaning. If we're good at what we do, we don't need acts of charity

On 24 November, the day after Black Friday and two days before Cyber Monday, Americans will "celebrate" our eighth annual Small Business Saturday.

The holiday, which started in 2010, has grown into something of a national phenomenon. What began as just a promotional campaign thought up by American Express has now spawned more than 7,200 "neighborhood champions" who "rally their communities with events and activities" according to the company. Since then a number of business associations, non-profit trade groups and municipalities have formed the Small Business Saturday Coalition, which aims to encourage "everyone to shop small".

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Small means pitiful and they don't want to be pitied by marketing executives and the media on one day of shopping

Related: Joseph Stiglitz: 'America should be a warning to other countries'