Small Business Saturday is Nov. 28
TRENTON – Senator Shirley Turner today urged residents to observe “Small Business Saturday” this weekend and to shop local throughout the holiday season. Small Business Saturday will be held on Nov. 28 and is a day that is promoted by small businesses across the country to encourage residents to purchase holiday gifts at smaller stores and businesses in their communities the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
“We know that small businesses don’t have the ability to market themselves to the same extent as larger ones that are promoting Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales. However, supporting our local businesses is so important,” said Senator Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon). “Doing so helps to fuel the economy but also supports our friends and neighbors who own or are employed by these businesses. As residents begin their holiday shopping, I urge them to support local shops, restaurants and other businesses in their communities and to continue to do so throughout the season.”
According to a survey released by the National Retail Federation, just over 135 million people are likely to shop this Thanksgiving weekend in stores and online, with nearly half of respondents saying they will shop this weekend and the other half planning to first check out the deals before committing. New Jersey is home to approximately 790,000 small businesses, of which 597,000 are nonemployer firms, and more than 192,000 are firms which employ an estimated 1.73 million individuals in this state, with an annual payroll of more than $75 billion. According to the Small Business Administration, more than half of all Americans either work for, or own, a small business, and small businesses create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and our state will not thrive without their success,” said Senator Turner. “This season, we can do our part to support the sustainability of businesses and jobs in New Jersey by patronizing the businesses operating on ‘Main Street’ and in our downtowns.”
A big demographic this year, according to the NRF, is Millennials. According to the latest numbers, about 77% of people ages 18-34 will mostly shop from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. About 35 percent of those in the 25 to 34 year old age range plan specifically on shopping at small businesses over the weekend and not as much on Friday or Monday.
Senator Turner is the sponsor of a Senate Resolution (SR-103) that urges residents to observe and support “Small Business Saturday” by patronizing local businesses in the community this year and each year thereafter.