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Home for the holidays

Posted 11/25/22

It’s the Friday after Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping season has officially begun. There’s an ominous name for today that inspires feelings of both excitement and dread - Black …

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Home for the holidays

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It’s the Friday after Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping season has officially begun. There’s an ominous name for today that inspires feelings of both excitement and dread - Black Friday. 

We’ve all seen the videos where crowds of aggressive shoppers are waiting in the cold outside department stores and shopping malls. Once the doors open they’re ready to trample retail workers and each other to secure the best bargains. 

It’s quite a contrast compared to the spirit of the day before. While Thanksgiving is about family and being thankful for all one is blessed with, Black Friday is a free-for-all of impulsive consumerism.

With the trend of online shopping that increased during 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the annual battle royale could be becoming a thing of the past. 

More and more people are shopping online. According to the National Retail Federation, around 155 million Americans went shopping on Black Friday in 2021, of which about 88 million made online purchases.

Yet there are many people who don’t have to look far beyond their hometown for the perfect gift. Instead of traveling far or buying online from major corporations, consider spending part of your holiday shopping budget locally this year. While it’s good to shop local any time of year, the holiday shopping season is very important for many small businesses and their annual bottom line. According to data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Express, roughly 67 cents of every dollar spent at a local business stays within our community. That creates a ripple effect since local businesses also are more likely to use the services of local accountants, printers, distributors, etc. 

Besides the local spending that helps businesspeople  support their families and employees,  money generated locally in the form of sales tax is invested back into the areas where it came from. 

The Sullivan County Democrat published our first Holiday Gift Guide on Tuesday and we publish another on December 9. Featured inside are just some of the many local small businesses all across Sullivan County. Consider “staying home” for the holidays by shopping local. 

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