It began last year and it appears this year to have gained major traction as I keep running into various mentions of it in the press along with many online sites and blogs. Essentially Small Business Saturday is meant to  create a sort of community if you will amongst shoppers to patronize any small business – whether local, national, online, etc.

How To Celebrate As A Consumer

For that one day, consider shopping at a small retailer versus one of the big box shops. Whether you drop a $50 or a $100 doesn’t matter, give the little guy a chance and your dollars. This small action won’t go unnoticed as a tiny revolution could result from many coming together for a common cause – just as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become HUGE shopping days – so can Small Business Saturday. Remember that it doesn’t have to be a local offline merchant, this can be a small online retailer as well.

Attn: Small Business Owners

If you run a small business, now is a great time to create a promotion or other event and let Small Business Saturday run its course. Many are claiming great sales, an increase in clients, etc. So do your part and take advantage of what is turning out to be a great yearly business event.

You could hold a giveaway, a fun contest, an online only promotion of a good merchandise discount, a special event, a game, etc. Just about anything that brings about exposure for you and your business.

Where To Get More Info

For more information – visit the Small Business Saturday website or the Facebook page.

Feel free to let us know below in the comment area, what you plan to do?

We love to hear from our readers, visitors and or clients. Take a second and leave a comment below to let us know how you doing?

1. No lines – let’s face it no one in their right mind likes to wait in line. Whether there’s two people in front of you or fifty, waiting blows. With all the waiting that we do in all other places like when we go out to get our daily lunch, have dinner, get our cars repaired, fight that large traffic ticket in local court we got (from Mr I have nothing better to do) traffic cop, ok – that last one was personal. But you get the idea – waiting sucks! Shopping online allows you to skip the lines. All lines. Yay!
2. Sweet Discounts – what local merchants do you know that offer a discount or promo code when you go to checkout? Not many, i’m sure. But because of online shopping carts, promo codes are the norm. Just visit RetailMeNot.com and you’ll be greeted by hundreds if not thousands of discount codes to use on almost every big and small merchant on the web.
3. Fat Coupons – similar to number 2 above but online coupons are offered up in various ways and in various places. The new thing now is Facebook where many merchants are giving out FANTASTIC coupons when you join and “like” their Facebook page. Just the other day, Radio Shack was giving away a whopping $10 coupon good towards any $40 purchase. That is huge!!! All you had to do was join and “like” their Facebook page and the coupon was sent to you – ready for immediate use online.
4. 24/7 Access – work a night job? Go to school? Busy as a Hooter’s girl on Superbowl Sunday? No problem my friend – head to your nearest laptop and log on. Your favorite store will be OPEN. Not only will they be open, they will welcome you at 3am, 6am or any other time. And on any day. Even Thanksgiving and Christmas!
5. No Snooty Salespeople – that’s right. When you go online and shop there’s no one looking over your shoulder, no one asking you time and time again “if you need help”, no one following you around the shop and no snooty remarks or comments. Just easy and comfortable browsing at your leisure with nary a look, stare or comment. Yes!
6. Easy Returns and Exchanges – most merchants online offer a generous and easy policy when it comes to returns and exchanges. Zappo’s (the best online shoe store) includes free shipping and returns on every single shoe they sell, anytime and for any reason. No hassles at the customer service desk, no questions, no 30 day return period, no nothing. Just send me the stuff back and we’ll give you a refund, store credit or exchange. Gotta love it!
7. The Box – c’mon it’s all about the box. You know receiving the package in the mail. Everyone loves to receive things in the mail and everyone loves to get that doorbell ring from Mr UPS and or Mr Fedex. Admit it, you do. Especially when that box is holding something awesome and or unknown. Yeah, we had to toot our own horn. Again!

Agree? Disagree? Why do you shop online. Tell us below.

1. Something Store – this is one of the bigger stores in this category, as they have sent over 49,000 “somethings” since October 2007. Even though they didn’t pioneer the idea of the surprise self gift, they have been around for several years and IMHO execute the concept extremely well. ($10 w/ free shipping)

2. Surprise Gift for Me – this shop has come up with an excellent twist on the “surprise self gift” arena. Essentially you create a wish list with them and when your birthday (or other noted date) rolls around, they will choose something from your list and send it to you. But you won’t know what it is, other than it’s something from your list. How cool is that! (varies)

3. iWannaBeSurprised.com – we are no slouch in the unique gifts retail stores concept either. Our motto is surprise yourself at the mailbox, since we feel that making a trip to your mailbox should at times be a fun experience. ($10 w/ free shipping)

4. Surprise Me Store – not so much a store, as much as an Amazon affiliate who has categorized certain gift types on his or her website. They espouse the concept of surprise yourself – but it’s executed differently than the others on this list. (varies)

5. Random Surprise – for fifteen dollars this store is the priciest of the five, but noteworthy nonetheless. They seem to be a spin off from a furniture store, as on their website they make mention of this. What are they about? Essentially they will send you a random surprise from their inventory of items and send it your way, and as the golden rule dictates – you won’t know what it is, till you receive it in the mail. ($15 + shipping)

That concludes our round up of the top five unique gifts retail stores on the web. If you find any others, do let us know below in the comment area. We would love to give them a shout out as well.

As for field research? We ordered from two of the shops on our list, including Something Store and Random Surprise, from one we got a cute water bottle and from the other a set of red rooster salt and pepper shakers. We loved opening both, and not knowing what the heck was inside. Crazy fun indeed!

1. iPhone Beach Towel – keep your cell and your tunes close by at the beach with this towel that incorporates headphone jacks and speakers for use with either your iPhone or iPod. Even at the Beach one can truly enjoy all that Apple offers.

2. iPhone Cake – what’s happier than a fat kid and cake? an iPhone user and his cake. In Germantown, Tennessee the MissMuffn Bakery will design and bake a cake in the shape of an Phone. Have a look at their “shaped cakes” page for info and cool photos.

3. “Steve Jobs for President” Tee Shirt – we know who your allegiance to is and this t shirt makes it loud and clear. Snag one today from InsanelyGreatTees.com and let the world know who you think is really large and in charge.

4. iPhone Magazine – packed with information, tidbits and juicy morsels of tips for iPhone users, this magazine is a must for all who have the cell phone that has revolutionized the mobile industry forever. A one year sub will set you back all of $16.

5. iTunes Gift Card – give the gift of music via an iTunes gift card from Amazon. Be sure to get the $50 denomination card so that your lucky recipient can load up on all his or her fave rockin tunes.

6. Eco friendly iPhone 4 Case – help your friend, family member or office pal save the planet while looking mighty stylish at the same time. This wood case tailor made for the new and improved iPhone 4 mobile is perfect for those who seek an earth-friendly way to mash tech (evil) with nature (good). A+++

7. Steve Jobs Bobblehead – we saved the best for last. At least we think we did. What do you get the iPhone user that has EVERYTHING? A custom bobblehead of course, but not just any bobblehead, one of god himself – Steve Jobs!

That’s it. That’s our round up of cool and unique gift ideas for any and all iPhone users out there. Hope you enjoyed it.

Sha-zam! Did you find our list helpful? If so, spread it around to friends and family via the share links below.

p.s. Have you seen our blog dedicated to unique iPhone gifts, yet?

By spending a little time and energy it‘s easy to come up with a creative gift for those people “who already have everything” or are “hard to buy for”.  Here are 50 cheap creative gift ideas for you to use for those times you can’t think of a thing to buy.

1.    Handmade gifts are always popular and appreciated
2.    Personalized coffee mugs set
3.    Picture album to commemorate a special occasion
4.    Picture frames with special photos
5.    Disposable camera
6.    Personalized pen set
7.    Mouse pad with children’s photos
8.    Personalized or handmade coasters
9.    Gift basket with small office gadgets inside
10.  Manicure set
11.  Hamper with specialized coffees, 2 mugs, box of biscuits
12.  Wood bucket with bath oils, sponges, soaps, wash cloth
13.  Wine opener and wine glasses in an ice bucket
14.  Tea for one package including cup, teapot, tea and biscuit
15.  Place mats and napkin
16.  Personalized jewelry box
17.  Custom name apron
18.  Wine set – bottle of wine with 2 wine glasses and napkins in a basket
19.  Picnic basket with dishes, cutlery, table cloth and drink containers
20.  Gardening kit with small garden utensils inside a terra cotta pot
21.  Flower seeds and a small bag of soil together in a flower pot wrapped with a bow
22.  Box of homemade cookies
23.  Gift certificate for “One home cooked meal of your choice”
24.  Tin of candy mixture
25.  Grilling gift basket with spices, sauce, utensils
26.  Gourmet cheese basket
27.  Cookbook for special occasions
28.  Set of bake ware with cookbook and samples of ingredients
29.  Gifts in a jar – home made preserves
30.  Gourmet popcorn with flavor packets
31.  Keepsake box
32.  Children’s traveling kit – color books, crayons, games
33.  Candles and snuffer
34.  Package of travel accessories – combination lock, universal travel adapter, blow up pillow, travel clock, travel wallet
35.  Book of things to do or make
36.  Movie Bowl with a movie rental gift card, package of microwave popcorn and drinks
37.  Car care bucket – chamois, car soap, car wax and spray nozzle
38.  Emergency car bag with flashlight, batteries, camera, blanket, candle and matches
39.  Desk set with pens, pencils, magnifier, stapler, note pads, envelopes, tape, etc
40.  Personalized stationery – address labels, envelopes, writing paper, cards
41.  Holiday linens for special occasions
42.  Package of a variety of party game
43.  Package of games for children
44.  Subscription to magazine
45.  Travel mug with gift certificate for coffee refills at favorite coffee bar
46.  Basket of pet supplies
47.  Tool box with assortment of small tools for men or women
48.  Assortment of music CD’s
49.  Beach umbrella in a bag
50.  Craft supplies

Be sure to also look for inexpensive boxes, tins, baskets and colorful ribbon to keep on hand for when that special gift is needed.

Think about the person you are purchasing the gift for and you will come up with something special that doesn’t have to cost a great deal of money.  Remember it’s the thought (and not the price of the gift) that’s important and because it’s from you they will love it.

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Do follow on Twitter to hear when we are open for orders. And please spread the good word to your friends and family, we appreciate any and all help as we get ready to open. Thanxs for reading and visiting!

iWannaBeSurprised.com is a new website which makes fun of shopping for exact items. Order yourself a surprise instead. If you’re anything like us, you love it when you get to tell someone “surprise me”.

That’s the whole idea behind our site and our service. You place an order for a completely random (but awesome) item and until you receive it in your mailbox, you won’t what it is. What crazy fun!

We’re rounding up our inventory of fun – so please hold tight while we launch. Follow on Twitter for updates.