by Chris Wendel

It’s been short years since Small Business Saturday was first introduced to America. As a response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday encourages shoppers to think of and patronize smaller, local retailers.

When Small Business Saturday was first introduced, I was skeptical. After all, this was a concept that was thought up and promoted by American Express. It seemed ironic at the time that a large mega financial institution was leading the charge for an effort that was to benefit smaller retail stores. Even stranger was (and still is) the fact that many small businesses refuse to accept American Express credit cards from their customers.

Regardless of the nature of this initial push, Small Business Saturday is now a normal part of our shopping vocabulary. American Express spent a tremendous amount with marketing and incentives in the first year Small Business Saturday and should be lauded for doing so. Three years later we have a more practical alternative to the hype of camping out in the cold at 3 am to buy a big screen TV. So this Saturday November 30th, celebrate the brick and mortar stores, restaurants, and businesses that have made the investment in our communities.