<p>I boycott Black Friday, but here’s a shopping event I can get behind!</p>
<p>[Small</a> Business Saturday: Small Retailers Fight Back With Deals After Black Friday](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>Small Business Saturday: Small Retailers Fight Back With Deals After Black Friday | HuffPost Small Business)</p>
<p>THANK YOU! </p>
<p>My shop in Connecticut has some really good deals – nothing like six flat screen tvs for 99 cents or anything – but some B2G1s on dog toys.</p>
<p>Occupy Wall Street – shop small and independent. And pay cash!</p>
<p>Yes! I admit to shopping online for some things.
But our small shops in town are where I head for beautiful, unique Christmas gifts.</p>
<p>Happy that they are still there and want to help them stay there.</p>
<p>Am in! Small Store Shopping today.</p>
<p>I am going to shop small today, but I am a little concerned about which stores they define as small. The AmEx link shows some stores by zip code, but says it does not include all stores. it would be nice to have a complete list by area…</p>
<p>I didn’t check the Amex link besides checking if <em>my</em> store was listed … but it may be independents that accept the American Express card. </p>
<p>There’s a sizable contingent of independents that won’t take Amex because they feel the discount rate is too high … and Amex does cost the merchant more than MC/Visa … but IMHO it all comes out in the wash. Credit cards are a cost of doing business – and one of those costs that has to be passed on to the customer in the form of higher prices.</p>
<p>Planning to shop small today at a local bookstore that is competing against big box stores and online orders.</p>
<p>We’re going out today (2 families- 8 of us) to get our trees at a local lot and shop downtown in my hometown. There’s been a pretty heavily advertisement campaign for this in the last few weeks and I hope there’s a high turnout!</p>
<p>H just filled up car at local small business station (it was on the list!). $25 of free gas–love it!. I’m headed to local independent bookstore later…</p>
<p>How do you know what are approved businesses ???</p>
<p>You don’t have to check a list. My store was not on the list but had a sign up. I already got an email from Amex stating I made the qualifying purchase and credit will show up in 3-5 days. </p>
<p>Just go to your regular small business. If they are small and participating they’ll let you know. If they are not really small then they won’t be. But you have to register your Amex card first, not afterwards, to get the $25 credit. .</p>
<p>Have a friend complaining on Facebook that he didn’t know about the registering in advance thing and now you can’t because they hit their limit. (I registered earlier this week).</p>
<p>I’m going to support the spirit of this event, even though I don’t even have an AmEx. No big box stores for me this weekend!</p>
<p>I didn’t know about the $25 credit. None of us have AmEx cards but we’re still participating!</p>
<p>we live in a tourist area with lots of small businesses and do most all of our shopping local,small. that’s right: forty five minutes to any big box store and we survive just fine! Have for twenty years. I bought a bunch of stuff at our independent bookstore last week. Went to have a tea while they complimentary gift wrapped. Clerk brought it over to me and rubbed my shoulder, told me " so great to see you again. ". I hadn’t been there in a while. Obviously they really count on their local repeat customers.</p>
<p>AmEx can well afford to pay a $25 credit for using their card. They charge small retailers about twice what Mastercard and Visa charge. (I gave up my AmEx card at least ten years ago and haven’t missed it a bit.)</p>
<p>Please, just patronize your locally owned stores. Remember, that includes restaurants, gas stations, book stores, pet shops, bike shops, and more…</p>
<p>I like DIY projects, and since I just sold my mother’s house, I was doing a whole lot of it. I can save a fair amount on paint and other supplies if I go to a big box store. </p>
<p>However, I have realized I save more at the end of the day by buying everything from our local, family-owned hardware store. The owner and employees know so much about any project I’m tackling that their advice about what to buy and how to do things have saved me so much time and money. I can buy a tube of caulk a couple of dollars cheaper at the big box store; but I save a lot more when I get the right caulk and apply it the right way.</p>
<p>Excellent point, dmd77.</p>
<p>Thanks Singermom for information. We don’t use AmerXpress, but son has a card, and was excited about the program, until he found out he has a corporate card and they weren’t included.
Like others I participated and will continue to think “small shopping” —awareness is a good thing.</p>
<p>We did the AmEx Sat deal this morn. I first registered my card, and then we visited a local wine store that sent us an email reminder about the deal. It was the first charge on our new JetBlue AmEx. Within several hours I received an email confirming the $25 credit.</p>