BIG RAPIDS — The National Retail Federation is reporting a record 196.7 million shoppers nationally shopped during the five-day span surrounding Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday this year.
A number of businesses in Mecosta and Osceola counties had events, deals, and specials to mark the day and saw shoppers of all ages come out to take advantage.
According to the NRF, there was a resurgence of in-person shopping this year. With in-store shopping up 17 percent compared to last year, and with COVID-19 restrictions virtually nonexistent, local businesses reaped the benefits.
This increase exceeded expectations by over 30 million shoppers and represented a 10 percent increase over 2021.
There were 63.4 million in-store shoppers on Small Business Saturday, up from 51 million last year. Seventy-seven percent of Saturday shoppers indicated they shopped specifically for Small Business Saturday.
Big Rapids business owner Chris Jane said there is a lot of quality in the local business community.
“If people have not been in downtown Big Rapids in a while, they might be very pleasantly surprised at the increase in shopping options,” Jane said. “I mean, with clothing, they’ve got the Serendipity store, and that’s awesome. People don’t realize how nice all of the local sports clothing is that stores sell, and the handmade stuff at places like Kilwin’s or The Yellow Window. Also places that help with just taking better care of themselves at one of the spas or Red Fox Market here.”
There were a number of new businesses that opened their doors in Big Rapids in 2022 including Jack & The Bear, Coffee & Candles, Ace Hardware, Happier Hour, and Mom & Pop’s Shack.
Big Rapids also added several marijuana dispensaries including the Tree House Club, Lucky’s Community Cannabis, Timber Cannabis, Fluresh, Levels Cannabis, and High Society.
Big Rapids Old Pioneer Store & Emporium owner Carleen Rose said seeing the traffic during the holiday weekend was heartening.
“We were very busy (on Small Business Saturday),” Rose said. “There was so much stuff going on. It was very busy with traffic and people having fun and gathering with their families. I think it was a very busy Thanksgiving weekend, ours has always been that way. It’s a kind of tradition for our downtown businesses, we have these traditions that must be kept.
“I have a wonderful staff, we’re like a family,” she added. “Just being part of the community lives, I love the effect of that. Things happen in our store that are just very precious. When people come in I get to find out a lot of the surprises that people are going to be giving to others during Christmas. That’s why I’ve been in the business for as long as I have. That’s why I’m still here enjoying my customers and their stories and all of that.”
Online shopping went up 2 percent compared to 2021. This was attributed to the consumers’ desire to return to pre-pandemic conditions. Fifty-nine percent of online shoppers used a mobile device to shop in 2022.
For the second year in a row, debit cards were used more than credit cards to make purchases over the course of the Thanksgiving Holiday, with 97 percent of the shoppers being holiday shoppers, or people looking to shop for gifts for the holidays.
Per the NRF, there were 73 million in-store shoppers nationally on Black Friday, which beat 2021’s mark by 6.5 million people.
The average consumer spent around $330 during the course of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Jane said the business growth is a positive for the city and county.
“We’re all going to have to do our part to make sure that they survive this next economic season,” Jane said. “I would encourage anyone who is making their Christmas purchases to consider gift cards to our local small businesses. I feel like when you buy a gift card, you multiply the potential impact on that business, because not only are you patronizing them yourself, but you’re potentially introducing them to a new lifelong customer. It could make the difference for a lot of our small businesses.”
NRF data numbers were not adjusted for inflation. Some head winds that were noted heading into the data collection period included high inflation.
Moving forward Rose said she is hopeful that, with the growing community and support for the Big Rapids Downtown Business Association, more opportunities for entrepreneurs to flourish will continue to grow.
“Through the over 40 years I’ve been here, there have been all sorts of trials and tribulations that we’ve gone through. Rose said. “The pandemic and different things that have been happening in the last 10 years has been a challenge for every kind of business. We always stick together, that’s what we do in this community. When times are tough, we always stand by each other, supporting each other.”
