Will Saturday Give Small Businesses Shot in the Arm?

November 21, 2023 Last Edit: June 5, 2025

Will Saturday Give Small Businesses Shot in the Arm?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Kabateck, California State Director, John@Kabstrat.com or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, Anthony.Malandra@nfib.org SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 21, 2023—Small Business Saturday approaches and by the end of that day, November 25, California’s mom-and-pop entrepreneurs will either be glad for the small boost it gave them to get through another holiday season, or they will wonder if it’s even worth carrying on. “For small-business owners who operate on the narrowest of profit margins, this is a tough time they’re going through,” said John Kabateck, California state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association. “How much of the inflation that has spiked the cost of their inventory they can pass on to their customers without losing them is a more pronounced problem this year than in prior years. Add to that the consistently historic high in having job openings they cannot fill; add to that the retail thefts California has uniquely exacerbated through Proposition 47 and is seemingly responding to it by deputizing Ma and Pa Kettle to go after the thieves.” According to Wikipedia, “First observed in the United States on November 27, 2010, Small Business Saturday is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores respectively. By contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local.” The typical NFIB member employs 5-9 people and reports gross sales of about $500,000 a year. Although spending on Small Business Saturday came in at just under $18 billion last year, that amount was lower than the two previous years. “Nothing is going small businesses’ way at the moment,” added Kabateck. “Congress is needlessly dithering over whether to extend the life of the Small Business Deduction past its 2025 expiration date, which so many take advantage of on their federal tax forms. And the California Legislature, that Freddy Kreuger of state governing bodies, is already planning newer taxes and regulations for 2024. So, I’m calling on everyone to spend a little extra on Small Business Saturday. The people who gave most of us our first jobs and who provide employment opportunities to people who could never make it past the lobby area of a corporation would really benefit, as would society as a whole.” NOTE TO EDITORS—Kabateck will also be available on Small Business Saturday for any comment you’d like on state and federal policies related to the health and welfare of small businesses. Keep up with the latest on California small-business news at www.nfib.com/california or by following NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_CA or on Facebook @NFIB.CA. ### For 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com. NFIB California 915 L. Street, Suite C-411 Sacramento, CA 95814 916-448-9904 www.nfib.com/CA Twitter: @NFIB_CA Facebook: @NFIB.CA