Small businesses are preparing for more holiday shoppers tomorrow with the fourth annual American Express Small Business Saturday.
Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce President Aaron Dail said the day is a culmination of the Shop Small initiative that encourages shoppers to make their purchases at locally owned businesses.
“We want to make them go explore. Give them that little nudge to say OK, you didn’t find something or you’re looking for something very specific. Keep in mind that there are some things out there that you have never seen or heard of in a business that are in our community,” he said.
Dail added small businesses are a relative term adding that some operations may have multiple locations and as many as 150 employees, but they are locally owned.
Murray State University's Small Business Development Center Director Chris Wooldridge says initiative focuses on giving back to your community and gives shoppers a chance to focus on who their purchases benefit.
“Those that shop at these small businesses, and this is something that the small business owners should keep in mind, is that price is not typically the No. 1 item,” he said. “They’re looking for that experience... and then it’s customer service.”
Wooldridge said in some cases when small businesses try to lower their prices to compete with larger retailers its detrimental to their bottom line.
