OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Winter winds are blowing in weather that may force shoppers to think twice before going out to the stores.
Small businesses are hoping Black Friday deals bring shoppers in before the snow keeps them out.
Shoppers getting out early
“Looking for lots of deals and trying to get in some places that we haven’t been in awhile,” said Laura Rohrer, a shopper.
Laura and Matt Rohrer are getting out early. They already have plans for when the snow falls.
“Just making sure we today to take a peek to see what we can find for Christmas gifts and stay in where it’s warm tomorrow,” said Matt Rohrer.
The couple are looking around Found Vintage Market. Laci Mulick owns the place and she’s really counting on Small Business Saturday.
“What’s nice about Small Business Saturday is it’s when everybody supports small business. It’s not just about shopping, it’s about supporting the small businesses that are a part of your local community and if we don’t have Small Business Saturday then that could really hurt small businesses this year because everybody’s really hurting,” Mulick said.
Backup plans for bad weather
Laci says if the snow falls, she will replace Small Business Saturday with Small Business Week.
“So if we end up closing tomorrow, which may happen depending on the weather because I won’t put my team at risk, but if we do that we’ll just do a small business support week,” she said.
Across town at Spruce Gift Shop, shoppers are coming in from across the region. All the traffic there could slow down if the weather turns bad.
Online shopping offers alternative
About five years ago, store owner Amy Sporrer followed the big stores and set up her shop for online shopping.
“It was primarily because of COVID and because I had dragged my feet on doing it all along, it was just so helpful through COVID and now like with the weather coming up, snowy days people can place an order and get their shopping done but still pick it up a week from now, when the roads are good and they don’t have to worry,” Sporrer said.
Amy says online shopping is a welcome addition to her business and it will be a big help if the weather keeps in-person shoppers at home.
“It makes a huge difference. We’ll probably, I’m guessing 40 to 50 percent of our sales will be online that day when the roads are bad. People can do their Christmas shopping from home and watch a movie and stay cozy,” she said.
No matter what the weather does, people can still support local small businesses by checking to see if they offer online shopping and supporting them from home.
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