I would normally not support creating a new holiday,much less, a new “Day”. If you check a detailed national calendar you will find that every day of the year has been designated as a special day for some organization, plight or cause — e.g. National Cheddar Cheese Appreciation Day, Eat Bananas Day —
As a matter of fact, by this point most dates have multiple celebrations attached or affiliated. And, let’s save discussion of all the special weeks and months (National Wear Leather Boots to Work Week, Plant a Mountain Laurel Month) for another rant on another day (National Rant Day?)
Small Business Saturday is a GOOD IDEA. That the day after Black Friday is designated makes a lot of sense. People, that is just about ALL of us, and especially the news media, are talking and thinking shopping.
I begrudgingly have to credit the American Express folks with coming up with the idea and getting behind it. AMEX is definitely NOT small business. I lump the credit card companies right in with the large banks and oil companies as NOT having the well-being of you and me and ours as their top priority. I guess we’ll just have to thank American Express for taking a little time off from all their usual skulduggery and skeeviness to do something important and beneficial.
Bottom line: Go wild this Friday. Break through the crowd barriers at your local Wal*Mart at midnight, log into your “Wish List” at Amazon DOT com — do some serious shopping — it IS good for the economy. But, save some of your disposable funds — maybe half! — and go out on Saturday and visit some small businesses — the more local the better.