Today is Black Friday. Hordes of people will head to Big Box stores and major retailers to shop for after-Thanksgiving/pre-Christmas bargains.

Our advice: Put Saturday on your shopping schedule, too.

Small Business Saturday comes tomorrow and not only is it still a big deal for shoppers, but also one of the most important days for the owners of small businesses, neighbors who live and work here in our communities.

Like many “holiday” events, Small Business Saturday is a created one, but with an important objective: getting more customers for small business owners. Local owners often are at a disadvantage in the marketplace because they don’t have the buying power or advertising budgets of national chains.

However, what they have instead is both the personal attention to a customer’s needs and selection that’s more tailored to the individual community.

According to a recent survey, awareness of Small Business Saturday has grown to 44 percent of those surveyed compared to 34 percent a year ago. And, of those aware of the day, 77 percent of them say they plan to “shop small” this year. The bottom line from those numbers indicates that millions of customers will be looking local.

The survey has other interesting numbers:

– 70 percent of those surveyed say they shop small because they are able to find gifts for people who are hard to shop for. That’s not surprising. Small, neighborhood shops are more discriminating in what they stock and owners are more in tune with local needs.

– Also, 21 percent of people say they shop locally because they actually get a better price on items they want and need.

Whatever the reason, shopping at small businesses keeps they money you spend here in the community – not sent off to some headquarters in New York or overseas. That means the money remains here to support cities, schools and organizations that make life here so worthwhile.

So, get out there and shop. But do it on Saturday. You, and the community, will be better off.

– Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter