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We spoke with Santa about what makes Christmas great Des Moines Register

I’m a huge Black Friday shopper. HUGE. I love the hunt for amazing deals. My kids get a kick out of going, too, and get in on the fun of finding exactly what we’re looking for among the crowd of eager shoppers and bargain seekers.

But, according to the finance editor at Yahoo, Black Friday shopping as we all know it is done due to COVID-19. With limited capacity in stores, people will be standing in line, six feet apart, masks on, waiting to nab a deeply discounted electronic in the freezing cold.

“The big challenge with any kind of Black Friday offering is how are you going to manage crowds,” Forrester retail analyst Sucharita Kodali told Yahoo Finance’s The First Trade. “Retailers — especially department stores — on days like Black Friday and the weekend after, they are going to have to do things like scheduling visits, reducing the number of people and spreading out [deals] as much as they can in the weeks before.”

Home Depot has canceled its traditional Black Friday shopping event and instead will offer Black Friday discounts online starting in early November. In the past, big box stores like Walmart remained open all day on Thanksgiving while others such as Best Buy opened its doors starting at 5 p.m. But this year, Kohl’s, Target, Best Buy, Walmart and others will be closed on Thanksgiving.

As people begin thinking about the impending holidays and gift giving, consider buying local and even better, buy local online. The “Shop Local” initiative has been an important concept for years, but it’s become even more important now after the coronavirus pandemic has obliterated some small businesses. No one could have seen this coming and now, some businesses are reeling. Some have shuttered completely.

More and more people have shifted to shopping online and unless a local business has a virtual presence, that’s another piece of the economic pie that a business is missing out on. The Iowa Economic Development Authority launched a new program in August to help those small businesses stay afloat. The online marketplace, called “Shop Iowa,” functions as an online shopping hub for hundreds of small businesses across the state. It’s the perfect place to discovered wonderful holiday gifts while supporting small businesses.

Thankfully, small retailers who do not have a site or online presence of their own can participate at no cost. Businesses that are “brick and mortar retail” can join as long as they have products that can be easily shipped and they’re equipped to handle online orders. The small businesses are broken down by region: central Iowa, Cedar Rapids, eastern Iowa, Marion and northwest Iowa.

Customers can browse and buy online from numerous participating local businesses from across the state. Choose local pickup from a nearby business or have items shipped directly to your home from a business you haven’t even visited yet, allowing you to discover gems you’ve never shopped.

The site also features services provided by local businesses, talented creatives and community groups. If you aren’t sure what gift a friend, babysitter, coworker or relative would enjoy, there also is a section with gift cards featured. They're for Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, detailing by R Jones Collision 1 and Great Escape & Social. 

So when creating your shopping list for this coming holiday season, consider shopping local and supporting the businesses that make our communities so great.

Kristin Danley-Greiner is a rural Southeast Polk resident and sleep-deprived mom who has worked as a journalist for 25 years.

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