One holiday shopper can win $5,000 just by making a purchase at any independent retailer or service provider in Oakland County during the "Small Business Saturday to Saturday" promotion Nov. 25 through Dec. 2.
Shoppers buying goods or services from thousands of independently owned small businesses in communities across the county are eligible to win. One lucky shopper will win the $5,000 grand prize, courtesy of North American Bancard. The second place winner will receive $2,000, courtesy of Bank of Ann Arbor. Third prize is a $500 voucher toward air travel on Southwest Airlines, courtesy of Flint Bishop International Airport. Prizes will be awarded by Dec. 14.
"Our inaugural one-day 'Small Business Saturday' was such a success that we expanded this year's contest to encourage more people to shop small this holiday season and enter for a chance to win an early present for themselves," said Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. "This is a win-win for our businesses and the shoppers. Our communities welcome the increased foot traffic this event generates for local retailers, restaurants and other businesses."
To enter, shoppers must text Shop2017 to 41411 to receive a text message with a link to a shopper registration page where they upload their contact information and a photo of their store receipt. All entries must be received by 4:30 p.m. Dec. 4.
As an incentive to encourage small businesses to register and promote the shopping contest to their customers, CEED Lending is offering a $1,000 American Express gift card to a randomly selected business and a $500 to the business employee who waits on the customer who wins the grand prize of $5,000. There is no cost for a business to register.
Many registered merchants are offering special sales and prizes of their own to celebrate the weeklong event. A list of participating merchants, full contest rules and registration information is found at www.AdvantageOakland.com/ShopSmall.
Several Oakland County communities are holding their own shopping promotions, which can also be found at www.AdvantageOakland.com/ShopSmall. In many cases, entries in the Oakland County contest also qualify for the local contests.
"Small, family-owned shops and restaurants are an invaluable part of what makes the culture of Lake Orion so unique," said Kim Urbanowski, executive director of the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce. "You'll find gifts, foods and services in these businesses that you won't find anywhere else. By shopping small, your money is more likely to stay in the community, which greatly improves the local economy."
A separate shopping contest is being conducted for Oakland County employees, who are not eligible to enter the public contest. Top prize is $500, courtesy of Oakland County Credit Union. Winners of the employee contest can receive an additional $250 if they are Oakland County Credit Union members.
Published: Wed, Nov 22, 2017
