Main Street could see smaller crowds this Small Business Saturday, survey shows

American Express created Small Business Saturday in 2010 to try to encourage shoppers to support local retailers, but a new CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey shows waning enthusiasm for the day. The survey, conducted Nov. 20–22, surveyed 2,397 Americans nationwide across all age demographics. Thirty-nine percent of respondents surveyed say they plan to patronize a small business tomorrow. That’s down from 44% a year ago. Of those who plan to shop on Small Business Saturday, 58% will do their shopping in person, while a third will do a mix of online and in-person shopping. Eight percent will patronize small businesses online only.