Today is Black Friday, but the coronavirus pandemic has toned things down quite a bit from recent years.
Many large retailers who had begun their sales on Thanksgiving remained closed yesterday and many, most notably Wal-Mart, began Black Friday sales online up to 3 weeks ago.
Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday, a nationwide campaign mobilizing people to shop local.
Nebraska Gov Pete Ricketts has been encouraging residents to join, in part because many smaller businesses are still struggling with the loss of foot traffic over COVID-19 fears.
Chadron Chamber of Commerce Director Gabby Michna is a long-time strong advocate of Small Business Saturday. She says it differs from programs that criticize shoppers from going out of town by emphasizing the positives of shopping locally.
Michna says local businesses are often the best option for someone trying to find gifts with a Nebraska connection for out-of-state friends and family
Michna also says it’s important to remember that having a national name doesn’t mean a store isn’t local.
MIchna also encourages residents to let out-of-town family and friends know that most Chadron businesses have websites or social media that they can use to shop Chadron as well.