Monday, December 2, 2013

Small Business Saturday

Small businesses don’t hardly get the recognition they deserve. Last Saturday, was the fourth annual Small Business Saturday—an American shopping holiday held the day after Black Friday. This idea encourages and motivates shoppers to shop small at their locally owned businesses. With the focus of small businesses on this one particular Saturday, consumers are given the ability to shop small and form or change attitudes about “brick and mortar” stores.

The American culture can easily get caught up in big box retail stores—especially around the holidays. It’s important to realize the importance, impact, and personal relevancy small, local businesses can have on our community and economy.

On Small Business Saturday, I shopped at the locally owned Indianapolis store “Silver in the City,” a quirky shop that specializes and focuses on Indiana-themed items. Personally, I have a strong attitude confidence and persistence for the city of Indianapolis, so this stored is of great favorability to me.

While shopping and purchasing locally, I feel a little different than I would while shopping at a major retailer. This could have to do with influence and valence the businesses promote and advertise to consumers. Personally, I learned that I like shopping small. It might be an adjustment to some, but I enjoyed the personal and community experience.  

Shopping small verses shopping large can sort of be compared to compliance verse reactance. It may be against the norm, but if consumers are informationally influenced about the positives of small business maybe their shopping behaviors and opinions can be conformed

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Black Friday Madness!!!!!

As we all know Black Friday is a crazy day of the year to get amazing deals on all your Christmas gifts.  But this holiday season I have been analyzing the deals and have noticed the creativity marketers have used to give customers deals that are no doubt a steal but still work in favor for their company.  My favorite example was an experience I had at target. First of all thank God for online shopping what a life savor.  This Christmas my mother and I decided we were going to get iPads.  We heard that target was running a deal that if you bought an iPad air or iPad 2 you would receive a $100 gift card in return.  So we bought my iPad air that morning online and got our gift card.  Which was nice because later that day we took the gift card to the store and bought my moms iPad right there and still had $100 gift card left over.

Now anyone in their right mind would think that this was a great deal and that it was. But then I started thinking we were in the mindset that we bought two iPads and saved $200 100 of which we still have to spend.  But really don't even have that we have $100 worth of credit left over that we already gave to Target and can only use at Target.  We still paid the full price of the iPad to Target they are just allowing us to spend $100 of that on something else.  We do not really have $100 back in our pockets that we can spend on anything we want.  That money is now tied up in that store and we have no choice but to spend it there.  Now this may not be a bad thing I will most likely get some accessories for my iPad with the gift card.  But I thought it was pretty neat to think that I walked out of that store with an extra $100 in my pocket that I wouldn't of had before but Target got away with know that I will now spend another $100 in their store.  In this case I think everyone wins in others I think the stores deceive the customers a bit.