Small Business Saturday facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Small Business Saturday |
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| Observed by | United States |
| Celebrations | Shopping |
| Date | Saturday after U.S. Thanksgiving |
| 2024 date | November 30 |
| 2025 date | November 29 |
| 2026 date | November 28 |
| 2027 date | November 27 |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Buy Nothing Day, Super Saturday (Panic Saturday), Cyber Monday, Green Monday, Giving Tuesday, and Economics of Christmas |
Small Business Saturday is a special shopping day in the United States. It happens every year on the Saturday right after Thanksgiving. This day was created by the company American Express to encourage people to shop at small, local businesses.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping times of the year. Small Business Saturday is part of this big weekend, which also includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Contents
The Story of Small Business Saturday
An Idea to Help Small Shops
The first Small Business Saturday was held on November 27, 2010. The idea was to create a day that focused on helping small stores. This is different from Black Friday, which is known for big chain stores, and Cyber Monday, which is for online shopping.
Small Business Saturday encourages people to visit the "brick and mortar" shops in their own towns. These are the physical stores you can walk into, like local bookstores, toy shops, and bakeries. The name Small Business Saturday is a registered trademark, which means it is officially owned by American Express.
The First Event
To launch the first Small Business Saturday, American Express worked with several partners. These included the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a group that works to save important historical places. The mayor of Boston, Thomas M. Menino, also helped promote the event.
American Express used TV and radio ads to tell everyone about the new shopping day. They also used social media to spread the word and even gave special deals to customers who shopped at small businesses.
Spreading the Word Online
Social media has been a big part of Small Business Saturday's success. On websites like Twitter, people use the hashtag #SmallBusinessSaturday to share information about their favorite local shops.
The hashtag started in early 2010 and was used to support small businesses on any Saturday. But it became very popular for the special Saturday after Thanksgiving. Many small business owners offer special sales on this day to attract customers who are out looking for holiday gifts.
Going Global
After seeing how popular Small Business Saturday was in the United States, other countries started their own versions. In 2013, Small Business Saturday UK began in the United Kingdom, bringing the idea of supporting local shops to a new audience.
See also
- Black Friday (shopping)
- Buy Nothing Day
- Super Saturday (Panic Saturday)
- Cyber Monday
- Green Monday
- Giving Tuesday
- Singles' Day
