Small Retailers Enter Holiday Season Optimistic

A report shows that 10 percent to 50 percent of U.S. small businesses’ annual sales come from holiday purchases.

Sue Manon, an employee of Adagio Teas in Naperville, Ill., helps a local customer. Courtesy of Adagio Teas

With Amazon and Walmart gearing up for the coming holiday season, competing on delivery speed and massive deals, small store owners may be fighting an uphill battle. Yet many of them are confident this stretch could make—not break—them.

A Nov. 11 report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows that its small business optimism index dipped to 98.2 in October, down by 0.6 points from September, while remaining above its long-term average. The organization’s chief economist, Bill Dunkelberg, attributed the slight decline in optimism to lower sales, reduced profits, and ongoing labor shortages.