Whoa. This Infographic Shows the Importance of Shopping Local
For the weekend post-Thanksgiving, we’ve all heard of Black Friday + Cyber Monday, but there’s something that comes in between that’s also a super important consumer day. It’s called Small Business Saturday, and it’s when shoppers are encouraged to shop at their local small businesses. It was first introduced by American Express back in 2010, and a year later it was officially recognized by the US Senate. As of 2014, 67 percent of Americans had heard of Small Business Saturday, and that percentage is only growing.
Score compiled data and came up with some interesting stats since the implementation of Small Business Saturday in 2010. First, as Americans are growing more aware of Small Business Saturday, they’re already turning their attentions to local businesses on that day. From 2012 to 2014, there’s been an increase of 16 percent in local, small-business shoppers and a upward tick of $2.9 billion spent. Wow.
But why, oh why is it so important for people to not just buy everything at their local superstore? Because more money actually stays in your community when you shop local — for every $100 you spend at a local small business, $25 more dollars stay in your neighborhood than if you were to buy at a large franchise. That makes a huge difference in the long run because it keeps your community richer.
So mark your calendars and remember to shop local!
Will you be shopping small businesses this Saturday? Tell us in the comments below!
