America Unchained Set for November 19

On the last Saturday before Thanksgiving, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) wants retailers and consumers across the country to join in the second annual celebration of America Unchained. On November 19, consumers in communities around the country will be asked to shop only at locally owned businesses to maximize the impact of their dollars and potentially inject millions more into their local economy. AMIBA hopes that consumers' experiences on that Saturday will have a carry-over effect and influence their future shopping habits.

A key focus of the America Unchained event is the findings of Civic Economics' Andersonville Study and "Economic Impact Analysis -- A Case Study: Local Merchants vs. Chain Retailers," both of which clearly illustrate that local retailers return more economic value to the community than do chain retailers.

New this year, AMIBA has created an online database to help Unchained participants better manage their promotions and to provide media with easy access to a list of participants. The database provides a list of stores, businesses, and alliances that are participating in the promotion, as well as a link to a form where interested businesses or organizations can sign up to participate.

In addition, when retailers or organizations sign up online, they are provided with a plethora of marketing materials -- such as buttons, bag stuffers, posters, logos, participant information, a list of talking points (which includes data from the Civic Economics studies), and local press releases -- to make it easier to promote the day in their communities. A business or alliance does not need to be an AMIBA member to join -- any group or a business owner interested in participating in the promotion should go to www.amiba.net/Unchained.html and click "Sign me up!"