Think Big By Shopping Small

Thanksgiving usually brings out the best in us.
Sure, football on TV and food comas on the couch are huge traditions, but for most families, the focus is on gathering around the table with our friends and relatives to pray, give thanks, and reminisce about another year gone by. It is also a time when our hometown individuals and business citizens give back to our local communities in countless ways, and remind us why we have so many reasons to be thankful.
Thanksgiving always spurs generous outreach by the citizens of this state that serves as a reminder of why the caliber of our people remains, to this day, our state’s greatest asset.
As we channel this holiday spirit and consider how best to exude it in our actions, there is one group out there we should not forget about: Louisiana small businesses.
This Saturday is “Small Business Saturday” which is the day we encourage people to shop their local, small-business owners to make sure they and their employees start this holiday season off the right way. Estimates show that Americans spent $5.5 billion last year on this day in local, small retailers and restaurants all across the country.
We are all aware of the late night deals and early morning sales that draw out the big crowds at the big retailers on Black Friday. In fact, many of the larger national retailers are even opening on Thanksgiving Day this year to get a jump-start on that Friday bonanza. Good for them and I wish them the best. I am all for anything that helps the retailer and consumer make a transaction that they both willingly choose to benefit from. I am sure the Pilgrims and Indians would be proud to know that one day turkeys, Xboxes, and iPods would all be consumed in mass quantities on this day of thanks.
Having said that, I hope the Saturday shopping coma that follows Black Friday does not resemble the turkey food coma that follows our Thanksgiving meal because our small-business owners need your business also.
In Louisiana, small businesses represent 97.4 percent of all employers and employ 55 percent of the private sector workforce. Most have fewer than 20 employees, are typically locally owned, and they are usually some of the first groups to step up when their community needs them. They coach the Little League teams, sponsor the school band uniforms, and help raise money for those in need. They usually go to their local lenders for help; and have battled, scratched and clawed the last few years to stay open during the national recession. They now smell growth in the air and are hoping tis’ the season to finally be jolly.
So when you give thanks and reflect on all of your blessings this year, don’t forget to invest in your community by participating in Small Business Saturday. It has a direct and real impact on the local owners of those businesses, the local employees they hire, the local vendors they partner with, and the local lenders they depend on. It is the right thing to do and, most importantly, it just might be the only thing to keep you off the naughty list this year.