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Find a worthy cause for Giving Tuesday

We’ve had Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and, today, Cyber Monday, all aimed at encouraging holiday spending. Now comes a different day making a pitch to part you from your money. But this gift is not for family, or even yourself. In fact, you might never know exactly who benefited from your participation in #Giving Tuesday. That doesn’t mean it won’t feel good to give. Giving Tuesday annually takes place on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It has blossomed since it started in 2012, and reportedly drew a record $3.6 billion in donations in the United States in 2024, ...

Shop local retailers to support Small Business Saturday

It’s time to shop local for Small Business Saturday. This annual day, set after Thanksgiving and Black Friday, promotes the idea of supporting smaller, more specialized shops and stores in the community rather than more massive national or online retailers. Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 by American Express as a way for specialty shops to better compete with big-box stores and e-commerce. “Shopping small” encourages spending at businesses close to home to help boost local economies. During the COVID pandemic, people turned to purchasing online, and the habit has ...

Suggestions to more safely navigate shopping online

With Thanksgiving done and Cyber Monday looming ahead of the Christmas season, Wisconsin's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has some advice on avoiding some common scams and other potential pitfalls to shopping online. During the busy holiday season, e-commerce can be a convenient and time-saving option for consumers buying gifts for friends and loved ones, DATCP states in a news release. But in 2024, consumers made more than 380,000 reports to the Federal Trade Commission about online shopping. This includes more than 5,000 reports from Wisconsin consumers, ...