Small Business Saturday: Shop Small, Make a Difference

The fourth annual Small Business Saturday, which takes place Saturday, November 30th this year, is a day designed to support and promote small businesses during the long and busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) is helping to spread awareness of Small Business Saturday and encouraging businesses and consumers to participate.

Falling between “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” Small Business Saturday can be a fun part of your holiday weekend routine.  By staying local, you’ll support the small businesses that helped create the identity of your community. This yearly event is a great way to show your support for these local “mom and pop” shops that make your home feel like home.

BBB is working with American Express OPEN to assist in getting the word out about Small Business Saturday. Businesses benefit not only from increased customer awareness, but also from the many free marketing tools offered online by Small Business Saturday partners: United States Postal Service, Foursquare, Fed Ex Office, and Twitter. Free signage, shipping, ads, and more are available and can be accessed online at facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday.

Consumers also have the opportunity to take advantage of an American Express statement credit offer. American Express is offering card members the opportunity to get a $10 statement credit when they enroll their eligible American Express Card and then use it to spend $10 or more in a single in-store transaction at a qualifying small business location on Small Business Saturday. Registration is limited and begins on November 24.

Shopping small is the theme of Small Business. Small businesses are the heart of our communities and everyone is invited to join the 200 organizations that have already teamed up with American Express OPEN in designating the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday.

For more information on Small Business Saturday, visit smallbusinesssaturday.com, and for more consumer information you can trust, visit bbb.org/us/Consumer-Tips/.

The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to be the leader in building marketplace trust by promoting, through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct, and to instill confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, assist and protect the general public. We are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact the BBB at bbb.org or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222.