Are You Ready for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday? Here's How to Prep

By Bob Phibbs

The anticipation and hubbub of activity surrounding Black Friday in its early decades was thrilling. It's time to rekindle that positive spirit.

This guide will help you prepare your store for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, setting the stage for a successful holiday season.

Understanding the Holiday Shopping Landscape

The day after Thanksgiving has served as the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season since the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924. The term "Black Friday" began appearing in Philadelphia media accounts in the '60s and '70s, referring to the city's busiest shopping and traffic day when shoppers mobbed downtown Philadelphia's streets and department stores.

By the 1980s, an "urban legend" began circulating that Black Friday was the day retailers moved from "red ink" (losses) to "black ink" (profits). The entire time from Black Friday through the last week in December can be when your company erases all losses from the previous three quarters and positions itself to become profitable year-round.

The Importance of Deals

While many small retailers maintain Black Friday is more for the big stores, customers will still be out there for one reason: deals. You'll see many people who are not your regulars on Black Friday weekend because that's not how your regulars like to shop. But the deal-lovers, after they visit the big boxes, will check you out with one purpose.

Black Friday is about the deal; your Thanksgiving weekend marketing should reflect that. You'll want one table in the back of your store filled with "I can't believe it!" prices.

Preparing Your Store for the Holiday Rush

1. Refresh Your Store's Appearance

Before the holiday season begins, focus on these areas:

Clean out your store: Remove every box, bag, or tag. Sweep or mop every floor surface. Get your carpets cleaned. The goal is to look as new as possible.
Repair, repaint, and relight: Once everything is clean, notice the chipped paint, broken furniture, and yellowed signage and fix them. New customers notice this each time, and you must, too.
Open up your floor: Shoppers want more space to move and more space around items so they stand out. Use smaller round tables nested around each other to create dramatic display areas for high-profit items throughout your store.

2. Curate Your Merchandise

Spend October and early November going through your merchandise to find:

The orphans: It's great to have a must-have item – until you sell all but the last one. Before re-ordering, examine the market to see if it has moved on. Then, slash the price of the last one—even if you sold a ton of them at full price.
The misfits: Do you have a demo product or one that was opened, but a piece is missing? You could put it on your sale table with a sign that says "missing a part." You could even be generous and print out how to get the missing part from the manufacturer.
The returns: Didn't that perfectly fine item get returned to the vendor on time for credit? Even without the cellophane or in a ripped box, you can price it and get it to the bargain table.
The dogs: Are you sitting on complete lines you ordered in the wrong color? Competitors blew them out at a low price? Now's the time to make them sound like gold and strike their price. Clean up the boxes, polish the chrome, or do whatever it takes to make them look new again.

3. Create Irresistible Deals

Set up a "can't-miss" deals table with deeply discounted items based on #2 above.
Use creative signage like "Special Purchase 60% off" to attract attention.
If you don't have enough merchandise to fill your table, call one of your better sales reps and see if they have something you could offer at a really low, doorbuster price.
Place small, full-priced items under $10 near the counter for impulse buys. Use signage like "For the one you're bound to forget" or "Great for pet sitters, gardeners, or yoga teachers."

4. Implement Effective Crowd Control

Set up multiple entry points or guide customers to manage store traffic.
Consider feeding a single line into multiple registers for checkout lines to keep things fair and moving.
Consider mobile checkout devices to process payments on the shop floor.
Review and optimize your store layout to improve customer flow and stop bottlenecks before they start.

5. Prepare Your Staff

Refocus your sales team on the quality and value of your offerings.
Train staff to handle inventory shortages, last-minute shipments, or unexpected delays.
Emphasize the importance of creating a positive shopping experience.

Maximizing Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday started many years ago to highlight local businesses. Many retailers put more time into preparing for this important Saturday after Thanksgiving. Here are some strategies and case studies:

Small Business Saturday started many years ago to highlight local businesses. Many retailers put more time into preparing for this important Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Creative Promotions and Events

Many small businesses got creative with their promotions to attract shoppers on Small Business Saturday 2023:

- In Princeton, Indiana, businesses created a Monopoly-inspired card game where shoppers collected stamps from each participating store. Once the card was full, they were entered into a drawing for a gift certificate redeemable at any participating merchant.

- Southern Local, an apparel and gifts shop in Alpharetta, Georgia, hosted block parties with other local boutiques monthly leading up to Small Business Saturday. On the day, they offered Prosecco to shoppers to create a fun, social atmosphere. They also gave out custom sweatshirts with every $175 purchase

- The Perfect Petal, a florist and boutique, ran a new holiday promotion every hour on Small Business Saturday. They also had a hot chocolate bar and wreath-making station for in-store shoppers[3].

Collaborative Efforts

Small businesses found success by working together:

- In Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, multiple downtown businesses coordinated to offer a "Sip and Shop" event where shoppers could enjoy specialty drinks while browsing stores until 8 pm.

- Some business owners, like Abby Michaelsen of Statement Home, shared other female-owned small businesses on social media to drive traffic to them.

- Alexandria, Virginia, had nearly 50 shops participating in Small Business Saturday with special discounts and treats.

Final Thoughts

Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are excellent opportunities to boost sales and attract new customers. By preparing your store, curating your merchandise, and creating a positive shopping experience, you can set the stage for a successful holiday season and potentially position your business for year-round profitability.

Remember, while these shopping events are about deals, they're also about creating memorable experiences that keep customers returning long after the holiday season. Use these tips for organizing, merchandising, and clearing your store to prepare for a brisk holiday season.

If you haven't trained your crew to sell, you're probably settling for crumbs when you could have the feast.