Various newsrooms across the country and preparing for their coverage of Black Friday spending. Retailers have been preparing, some since last January on their planned coverage for Black Friday. And consumers are plotting their store coverage, anxiously anticipating the arrival of their newspaper on Thursday with specific inserts to get those big deals.
The good news is that spending is predicted to be up in 2014, compared with last year, with a 3% gain predicted. The average American will spend $720 on gifts this year, that is up from $704 according to a recent Gallup Poll. Lydia Saad's article on Gallup's website offers some keen insight on consumer habits and plans for the holiday shopping season, which officially opens on Friday; or Thursday night in some cases.
The malls will be crowded on Thursday night and Friday. But hopefully consumers will also take some time and flood small local mom and pop retails on the new tradition for the holiday, Small Business Saturday. The Shop Small movement has had an impact on Main Street in many communities.
Media companies live and die by big box stores, and frankly lately it has been tough. They continue to squeeze and leverage rates down without apology. The opportunity for media's bright future rests with the success of local stores owned by local individuals. Small towns to medium sized cities also rely on the stability and strength of small business owners to employ people and to pay taxes. It is vital for the strength of the media industry and the communities we serve to have a vibrant business base. Take a few minutes this weekend and spread some love to a non-mall, non-chainstore merchant.
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