Why you should skip Amazon this Black Friday

November 29, 2025, is the biggest Small Business Saturday ever - and your shopping could really make a difference where you live. Picture this: it's midnight, you're scrolling through Amazon, adding stuff to your cart that you might never keep. Meanwhile, right down the street, a small bookstore owner is wondering if they'll make rent this month.

Here's the real deal: since 2010, people like you have spent $201 billion at small businesses on this one day. Last year alone, Americans spent $17 billion, showing this isn't some marketing gimmick anymore. What started as a small idea 15 years ago has turned into a major event that's helping to rebuild towns and save local jobs.

So this November 29, it's not just shopping - it's your chance to decide if your neighborhood stays alive or turns into empty streets. The good news? You're already choosing local more than ever. Now the question is - will you do it again this year?

This isn't just feel-good shopping. It's the real impact that keeps communities strong.

Why this matters to you 

Right now, America has 34.8 million small businesses. That's basically every business you can think of - 99.9 percent of all companies in this country are small.

And here's the kicker: If you work for someone, there's almost a 50-50 chance you work for a small business. About 59 million Americans (that's 45.9 percent of everyone with a job) get their paycheck from a small company.

Between March 2022 and March 2023, small businesses created 2.6 million new jobs. That's 80 percent of ALL new jobs in America. Think about that next time someone tells you only big corporations create jobs.

Oh, and those "small" businesses? They shipped $648.5 billion worth of stuff to other countries in 2022. Your local manufacturers and makers are competing globally.

The secret sauce: Where your money actually goes
 

You know how everyone talks about "supporting local"? Here's what that actually means in dollars and cents.

When you spend $100 at a local shop, about $68 stays in your community. When you spend that same $100 at a big chain? Only $43 sticks around.

But it gets better. That money doesn't just sit there - it multiplies. Economists found that every dollar you spend locally creates between $2 and $6 more in economic activity. It's like magic, except it's math.

Here's how: The coffee shop owner uses your money to buy beans from the local roaster. The roaster pays the local accountant. The accountant gets lunch at the pizza place. The pizza place orders from the local farmer. And around and around it goes.
Your $5 latte just became $15-$30 worth of economic activity in your town.

Who's building these businesses? 

Small business owners look like America - maybe even more diverse than you'd expect:

Women own 13.3 million businesses (that's 44.1 percent of all small businesses)

Veterans run 1.6 million companies, punching above their weight since they're only 4.4 percent of workers but own 5.5 percent of businesses.

Hispanic Americans own 5.1 million businesses, and that number keeps growing.

People of color collectively own 12.1 million businesses

The entrepreneurship boom isn't slowing down. If anything, more people are starting businesses now than ever before.

Where small businesses are crushing it

You know those industries everyone says are "dominated by big companies"? Small businesses are thriving there too:

Healthcare: 9 million people work for small healthcare businesses (that's nearly half the industry)

Restaurants and hotels: 7.5 million employees work for small food and lodging businesses (61.7 percent of the industry)

Construction: 5.8 million people build things for small construction companies (81.6 percent of all construction jobs)

Professional services (like lawyers, consultants, and tech startups): 5.4 million employees

Retail stores: 5.3 million workers helping you find what you need

The money behind the dream

Starting a business takes capital, and in 2022, banks loaned $93.7 billion to businesses making less than $1 million a year. Total loans to small businesses hit $266.7 billion.

That's real money going to real dreams. Someone's bakery. Someone's bike shop. Someone's graphic design studio.

What Small Business Saturday means for you this year

Here's what you need to know about November 29, 2025:

Most small shops have fewer than five employees. Your holiday shopping can literally make or break their year. The National Retail Federation says the average person will spend $902 this holiday season (up $25 from last year).

Imagine if you moved just half of that to local businesses. You'd be putting $450 directly into your community instead of into Jeff Bezos's rocket fund.

Small businesses are going global. 

Here's something that blew my mind: Remember those $648.5 billion in exports I mentioned? Out of all the companies shipping stuff overseas, 97.2 percent are small businesses. That's 271,391 small companies competing with giants and winning.

Your local craftsperson might be selling to customers in Tokyo. That's the new American dream.

The growth story nobody's talking about

Between 1997 and 2021, small business jobs grew by 8.1 percent. We went from employing millions to employing 59 million Americans.
In some states, small businesses employ more than half of everyone who works. That's not just statistics - that's your cousin's employer, your neighbor's job, your kid's future workplace.

Why this Black Friday feels different

We're living in weird times:

• People work from home, but downtown stores need customers
• Supply chains are unpredictable, making local sourcing smarter
• You want real experiences, not just transactions
• More people care about where their money goes

Small Business Saturday isn't just a shopping day anymore. It's you voting with your wallet for the kind of world you want to live in.

Do you want a main street full of empty storefronts? Or do you want a neighborhood where you know the person who sold you coffee, fixed your bike, or gift-wrapped your mom's birthday present?