NORTHAMPTON — Bag Day returns on Saturday, Nov. 17, when more than 70 participating businesses in the downtown area will give a 20-percent discount off a single item to shoppers with a bag provided by the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
The bag will be available in Thursday’s edition of the Gazette, and for many businesses, the long-running tradition brings an uptick in sales in the kickoff to the holiday season. The bags will also be available on the second floor of Thornes Marketplace on Saturday at 8 a.m., the same time that participating merchants will open that day.
“We’ve been participating since we moved into town and it’s one of our largest weeks for holiday sales,” Steve Weber, owner of Deals & Steals, said.
The food and retail store at 1 Pearl St. will accept Bag Day sales from Thursday to Sunday, giving the business a 50-percent increase in sales, according to Weber.
Bag Day has become a tradition, Weber said, with many people from the surrounding towns coming to Northampton to spend their dollars locally. “All stores and restaurants are jam-packed,” he said.
Weber added that Bag Day has become such a successful weekend for sales that often it eclipses sales on Black Friday.
“People like to come out and socialize and support the local businesses — that’s what it’s all about,” Weber said. “People should get here early for the best selection. We have a lot of inventory, but it’s a very busy time.”
In anticipation of Bag Day, store owners begin to spruce up Thornes Marketplace for the holiday season, according to Thornes marketing director Jody Doele.
“For many downtown retailers, Bag Day is the single biggest sales day of the year,” Doele said. Thornes has 2,000 bags to give out, and usually, they are gone by about 2 p.m.
“It’s an extremely important day for folks in the building,” Doele said. “We look at it as the bellwether for the holiday season. It’s important for (our retailers) to see early success to have confidence that the holiday season will be a success for all of us.”
The decades-old tradition bring generations of families to downtown, Doele said, as well as many who are participating for the first time. “There is a significant percentage that don’t know what it is, and they get a kick out of the fact they get to participate,” she said.
Doele said many businesses depend on loyal, local shoppers.
“We are so grateful when they come out in droves for this historical event,” Doele said. “It’s rewarding and reassuring.”
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com