For holiday purchases think local

At least one of our employees decided to partake last year in the mad rush of Thanksgiving-day sales at area retailers. It is an experience he does not plan to repeat.

And it’s not just that the experience was distasteful — crowds tend to be unnerving for people, and many tend to react to that feeling with poor behavior — it’s also that it seems unnecessary.

Sure there are deals to be had. But as retailers push these sales earlier and earlier, the result is more and more of our neighbors are denied the option to spend Thanksgiving with their families. We can’t help but feel complicit in forcing that on people when we participate in these sales blitzes.

We’d rather wait and pay a little more than wreck our own Thanksgiving and that of the store employees.

Waiting a few days also has the advantage of letting us participate in a sales blitz we find much more palatable.

At the Frontiersman, we are well aware of the role small businesses play in our community. They support local sports teams through sponsorships. They support local charities through donations. And they support us through advertising.

We, in turn, make a point of highlighting local businesses we feel are doing something innovative or interesting. We devote a page to it every week.

Sure, the box stores contribute as well. Just ask citizens of Wasilla how much they like not paying a city property tax, thanks to sales tax receipts from the big retailers there.

But small businesses are the backbone of our economy, both locally and nationally.

This week we got a flurry of e-mails from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and others who reminded us that a second sales blitz follows close on the heels of the storied Black Friday: Small Business Saturday.

Started by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday grew to more than $5.7 billion in nationwide sales last year.

Clearly, we aren’t the only ones who recognize the value of promoting our local businesses. So maybe this year, consider sitting out the crowds and chaos. And spend the day after Thanksgiving basking in the glow of another holiday well spent in the company of family and friends.

Saturday, we will join you in heading to our favorite local shops in search of gifts to fill our Christmas lists. And remember, every dollar we spend locally is spent an estimated five to seven times before it leaves the Valley.