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Black Friday is upon us and the holiday shopping season is underway.
In 2021, Black Friday saw more than 66.5 million in-store shoppers, according to RetailNext and fitsmallbusiness.com.
And as enjoyable -- or stressful -- as consumers may find this time of year, it has ramifications well beyond getting the best price on a new laptop or the latest toy for your kid. The retail sector directly employs 32 million Americans and is the largest private-sector source of jobs, according to the National Retail Federation.
According to the Small Business Administration and Forbes magazine, small businesses accounted for 62 percent of jobs created between 1995 and 2020 and 44 percent of all U.S. economic activity.
Keeping all of this in mind, we encourage all of our readers, as they go about their holiday shopping, to check out our small and independent retailers as well.
Downtown Williamsport and the business districts of Loyalsock Township, Montoursville, South Williamsport, Muncy, Hughesville, Jersey Shore and other neighboring communities offer a lot of options.
Small businesses, as the figures show, create jobs. They revitalize communities and contribute to community organizations and neighborhood events. They diversify local economies so that the loss of one enterprise isn't as devastating as when a "factory town" would lose its factory.
And for consumers, they offer a level of service often unmatched by other retailers and the convenience of shopping in your own community or neighborhood.
Small Business Saturday, a targeted push by small and independent retailers to compete with corporate chains and Black Friday, is this weekend. We hope if you don't have an opportunity to visit and shop at small businesses on Small Business Saturday, you will remember them -- and all they do to enrich our communities -- when you do have an opportunity to shop.