Small Business Saturday Is Six Weeks Away: A Week-by-Week Plan
Picture a stationery shop owner on a Main Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, flipping her wall calendar to November on a quiet Thursday in mid-October. One square is already circled in red: Saturday, November 28.
Last year she ran out of her best-selling planners by noon, the card reader froze twice, and the email she meant to send went out on Sunday night. She has six weeks to make this year different, and a shop to run in the meantime.
If that sounds like your fall, this plan is for you. It breaks the countdown into one job per week, so nothing lands on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Quick answer
Small Business Saturday 2026 falls on November 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Six weeks out, owners should update Google Business Profile hours first, then lock inventory and gift cards, grow the email list, line up local partners, test payments and schedule staff, giving each task its own week so the final days stay calm.
Key takeaways
- Small Business Saturday 2026 is November 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
- Set Google Business Profile special hours for Thanksgiving weekend now, before shoppers start searching.
- Gift cards topped NRF's 2025 holiday wish list at 50%, so stock and promote them early.
- Amex says shoppers reported spending $22 billion on Small Business Saturday 2024, based on surveys.
- Test card readers, backup payment options and staff schedules in the final two weeks.
When is Small Business Saturday 2026?
Small Business Saturday lands on Saturday, November 28, 2026. American Express, which created the day in 2010, sets it on the Saturday after Thanksgiving each year, and Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year.
That puts it between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, inside the busiest shopping stretch of the year. Counting from mid-October, you have six weeks.
The deadline is close enough to feel real and far enough out to do the work properly. The trick is to stop treating it as one big project and split it into weekly pieces.
What does a six-week Small Business Saturday countdown look like?
Here is the whole plan on one screen. Each week has one main job, and each job builds on the one before it.
| Week | Dates | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| 6 weeks out | Oct. 16 to 22 | Update Google Business Profile hours, photos and reviews |
| 5 weeks out | Oct. 23 to 29 | Reorder best sellers, stock gift cards, pick one offer |
| 4 weeks out | Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 | Grow the email and text list, schedule messages |
| 3 weeks out | Nov. 6 to 12 | Line up neighbors, district events and creators |
| 2 weeks out | Nov. 13 to 19 | Test every way customers pay, call your processor |
| Final week | Nov. 20 to 27 | Post staff schedules, prep stock, run a walkthrough |
| The day | Sat., Nov. 28 | Open, sell, collect emails and reviews |
If you are starting late, do not skip ahead. Compress two weeks into one and keep the order, because listings and inventory take the longest to fix.
How much do shoppers spend on Small Business Saturday?
Shoppers reported spending $22 billion during Small Business Saturday in 2024, according to American Express figures reported by NBC News Select. Amex says the day has helped generate over $241 billion in reported sales since it began.
Read those numbers with care. Amex notes that its spend statistic comes from consumer surveys it commissions and does not reflect actual receipts or card data. They show what shoppers say they did, not what registers recorded.
The owner side of the picture is just as telling. In the 2025 Amex Shop Small Impact Study, small business owners estimated that nearly 20% of their annual revenue would come from Small Business Saturday sales, and 86% of consumers said they were likely to shop small over the holidays, per the same NBC report.
Foot traffic backs up the interest. The National Retail Federation counted 62.7 million in-store shoppers on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend 2025, up from 61.1 million the year before, plus 63 million online.
What should you do six weeks before Small Business Saturday?
Start with the thing shoppers check first: your Google Business Profile. When someone searches for a gift shop or a bakery near them, your hours, photos and reviews decide whether they walk in.
Google lets you set special hours for holidays and events. Its help page suggests confirming your hours for official holidays even when they match your regular schedule. Set Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday now.
Two details trip people up. Special hours replace your regular hours for that date, so re-enter any you want to keep. And they only display if your regular hours are set to “Open with main hours.”
While you are in the profile, add fresh photos of your storefront and best sellers, and answer any unanswered reviews. If you want the bigger picture on local search, our guide to SEO versus GEO for local businesses covers how search engines and AI tools find nearby shops.
One more check this week: if you accept American Express, see whether you appear on the Shop Small Map. Amex’s 2025 eligibility criteria included up to $5 million in annual Amex charge volume, and its FAQ explains what to do if you are missing.
How should you plan inventory and offers five weeks out?
Week five is for the shelf. Pull last year’s sales from the weekend after Thanksgiving and list the items that sold out first. Reorder those now, while suppliers still have stock and shipping times are normal.
Then put gift cards near the top of the list. In NRF’s 2025 holiday survey, gift cards were the most-requested gift at 50%, ahead of clothing and accessories. A gift card sale also brings the buyer’s friend through your door later.
Decide on one simple Small Business Saturday offer. A bundle, a free gift with purchase above a set amount, or early-bird hours tend to be easier to run than a storewide discount. If you are weighing price changes, our piece on price-pack architecture walks through how bundles and sizes can protect margins.
When should you start emailing customers about Small Business Saturday?
Week four is about the list. Your email and text subscribers are the people most likely to show up, and you control the message without paying for reach.
Make sign-up easy at the register, on receipts and on your website. A clipboard by the counter still works. So does a small reason to join, such as first look at the Saturday offer.
Timing matters. NRF found that 42% of shoppers planned to start browsing and buying before November last year, while 63% planned to do most of their shopping over Thanksgiving weekend, up from 59% the year before. That argues for two waves of messages.
- Early November: a save-the-date with your hours and the offer.
- The week of Thanksgiving: a reminder with what’s new on the shelves.
- Friday, November 27: a short “see you tomorrow” note.
- The week after: a thank-you with a reason to come back in December.
Write all four now and schedule them. Social posts can follow the same calendar. The Amex study cited by NBC found 98% of small businesses it surveyed now market on social media.
Paying too much to take cards?
Qualifying merchants who switch payment processors can get a free $10,000 growth package, including a website, Google Business Profile setup, landing pages, content and tracking, through our partner Fees to Growth. (Partner offer)
How can local partnerships drive Small Business Saturday traffic?
Week three is for your neighbors. Shoppers rarely visit one store on Small Business Saturday. They make an afternoon of a block, so plan with the shops around you.
Simple ideas work: a shared map of participating stores, a stamp card that earns a prize after five visits, or a coffee shop handing out coupons for the bookstore next door. Ask your Main Street group or chamber whether a district event is already planned.
American Express supports this kind of effort. It recruits local groups as Neighborhood Champions and offers free marketing materials through its Shop Small Resource Hub. Last November it also announced free customizable “In Business Since” signage and a $5 million Shop Small Grants Program with Main Street America, offering 250 grants of $20,000. Check ShopSmall.com for what is offered this year, since programs change.
Creators are worth a call too. In the same Amex research, 82% of owners said they had seen a spike in sales when content creators or influencers posted about them.
How do you get payments and staffing ready in the final two weeks?
Week two is for the register. Run a test transaction on every card reader, tap-to-pay device and online checkout. Charge every battery, update the software and keep a backup option, such as a phone-based reader, in the drawer.
Call your payment processor before the weekend if you expect a big jump in volume. Our nine Q4 moves for the holiday rush explain why raising processor limits ahead of time can prevent held funds. While you have them on the phone, ask for a clear breakdown of your rates.
The final week is for people. Post the schedule for Wednesday through Saturday early, and plan coverage for your busiest hours, using last year’s register data as a guide.
Cross-train at least one person on the register and one on gift wrap or packing, so a sick call does not stall the line. Seasonal helpers need a short written cheat sheet with the offer, the return policy and who to ask for help.
Hold a 20-minute walkthrough before opening on Saturday. Cover the offer, the gift card process, where backup stock sits and who handles returns. A team that knows the plan can keep the line moving.
What should you do after Small Business Saturday?
The day ends at closing time. The value lasts longer. Within a few days, send the thank-you email, ask happy customers for a Google review and note which items sold out and when.
Those notes become next year’s plan. They also help in December, when gift card buyers and new email subscribers are deciding where to shop next.
Back on that Main Street in Lancaster, the red circle on the calendar does not have to mean a frantic Friday night. With one job a week, the planners are reordered, the readers are tested and the emails are already scheduled. When she turns the key on November 28, the only thing left to do is open.
Get your story in Business News Life
Every Main Street shop has a Small Business Saturday story, from the first sellout to the neighbor who became a regular. If your business has one worth telling, we want to hear it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Small Business Saturday only for retail stores?
No. Restaurants, cafes, salons, service providers and online-only small businesses can all take part. American Express has listed online merchants in the online directory section of its Shop Small Map, and many service businesses sell gift cards or packages that day.
Do I need to accept American Express to participate in Small Business Saturday?
No. Any small business can promote the day and run an offer. Accepting American Express matters mainly for appearing on the Shop Small Map and for any card-linked programs Amex runs that year, so check its current terms if those matter to you.
What is a good Small Business Saturday promotion?
Simple offers tend to be easiest to run: a bundle, a gift with purchase above a set amount, early hours or a gift card bonus. Pick one, make sure staff can explain it in a sentence and confirm the margins work before you announce it.
How far in advance should a small business prepare for Small Business Saturday?
About six weeks gives enough time to update listings, reorder top sellers, build an email plan, coordinate with neighbors and test payments. Shorter timelines can work, but inventory and supplier orders are the tasks most likely to need extra lead time.
Does Small Business Saturday help businesses after the holidays?
It can. Gift cards bring recipients in later, new email subscribers can be invited back in December and January, and fresh Google reviews keep helping local search. Tracking which items sold out also makes next year's planning easier.
Sources
- American Express: Shop Small and Small Business Saturday FAQs
- NBC News Select: Today is Small Business Saturday, how to shop and support (Nov. 29, 2025)
- National Retail Federation: Thanksgiving holiday weekend draws a record 203 million shoppers (Dec. 2, 2025)
- National Retail Federation: Consumers to spend second-highest amount on record, according to NRF holiday survey (Oct. 16, 2025)
- Google Business Profile Help: Set special hours
- Detroit Regional Chamber: American Express expands small business support (Nov. 2025)