Re: ‘Gray Thursday’

Columnist Ike Hajinazarian’s article, “Gray Thursday: Another Holiday Tradition,” advocates for extending Black Friday shopping into the evening of Thanksgiving, and encourages us to feed the economy by shopping at big-name stores like Target and Walmart.

Black Friday has long served national corporations, most of which make billions of dollars throughout the year with or without the holiday — Mike Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, was paid $8.16 million in 2012 alone.

Because Black Friday supports stores that are already firmly financially stable, I would like to provide an alternative: instead of expanding the day into Grey Thursday, I urge Indiana Daily Student readers to participate in Small Business Saturday.  

The consumer holiday was created in 2010 as a counterpart to Black Friday, and encourages shoppers to patronize their local retailers rather than large corporations when completing their holiday shopping. Small Business Saturday takes place on the day following Black Friday and is an important way to truly feed our local economy and benefit business owners who may not otherwise survive without community support.

Connecting with local business owners enhances our sense of community and makes a direct impact on our city’s economy. Unlike national department stores, one person’s purchase can make a difference in the success of a small business.

Personally meeting the owners of a store builds stronger relationships and greater consumer loyalty.

And if that isn’t enough, your holiday gifts will be much more unique than if you’d shopped at Walmart.

I hope the Bloomington community will take part in Small Business Saturday as an alternative to Black Friday, and allow Target and J.C. Penney employees to enjoy their Thanksgiving holiday with their families.

Local business owners work hard to maintain a vibrant, diverse community for us to live in, and they are more than deserving of our patronage.

­— aonion@indiana.edu