Shop Small — Small Business Saturday

First there was Black Friday, dating as far back as the 1930s, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, which features big box retail stores blasting huge sales and savings for Christmas shoppers — a day which has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US, and most major retailers open very early (and more recently during overnight hours) and offer promotional sales. Then came Cyber Monday in November of 2005, persuading people to shop online for huge Christmas savings. This happens on the Monday immediately following Thanksgiving in the United States.

First observed on November 27, 2010, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize small, local brick and mortar businesses, helping increase revenue for the "small guy" and support their local communities. Small Business Saturday is a registered trademark of American Express corporation. The "holiday" was conceived and promoted by American Express via a nationwide radio and television advertising campaign.

Small Business Saturday UK began in the UK in 2013 after the success of Small Business Saturday in America.

• 2010 — Small Business Saturday launched, encouraging people across the country to support small, local businesses.
• 2011 — Governors, mayors, senators, and President Barack Obama all voiced their support for Small Business Saturday. The US Senate officially recognized the day.
• 2012 — 73.9 million people shopped Small Business Saturday.
• 2013 — With continued growth, more individuals and local organizations supported the day as Neighborhood Champions.
• 2014 — An estimated $14.3 billion was spent at Small Businesses across the board.

Hashtags:

• #ShopSmall
• #SmallBizSat
• #SmallBusinessSaturday
• #SmallBizSaturday