Copyright The Denver Post
Online or in person, shop small and local businesses this holiday season Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday mark the most important stretch of the year for many founders like me. For small brands, holiday sales don’t just fuel growth, they often determine whether we can sustain our teams, our missions, and our dreams into the next year. At ICONI, we create inclusive and motivational activewear to support women on every stage of their journey, and this season, we’re deeply grateful for every customer who chooses to shop small, whether it’s with us or another local business. We also recognize this is a challenging time for many families. Every purchase, big or small, is thoughtful and intentional. That’s why e-commerce has become a lifeline for small businesses, allowing us to reach our community wherever they are and offer value, connection, and convenience without asking anyone to stretch beyond their means. As online shopping plays a bigger role in how consumers support small businesses, it’s important that policymakers avoid adding barriers that make it harder for independent entrepreneurs to participate in the digital economy. When regulations increase costs for small sellers, it’s communities, not corporations, that feel it first. This holiday season, choosing small, whether in person or with a click, keeps creators creating, communities thriving, and local dreams alive. Thank you for supporting businesses built with purpose, heart, and hustle. Angel Johnson, Denver ‘Tired of being treated like a criminal’ I have reached the breaking point with grocery stores in this area. I have had it with being treated like a criminal by stores that, until now, have gotten my business. My local King Soopers refuses to adjust its self-checkouts that constantly accuse you of bagging an item that you supposedly did not scan. “Help is on the way,” it says. On my last visit, four of the five self-scanners in use were malfunctioning. You can’t tell me that management doesn’t know there is a problem. Today I went to Walmart. I purchased $130 worth of merchandise, which was checked out by the cashier and placed into three paper bags. Only two items of paper products were not bagged. As I was leaving, an employee asked me if I had a receipt. “I certainly do,” I replied. She asked to see it. I refused and told her that I did not steal anything (could she not see the three paper bags, which I also paid for?). I also said that if I had to show my receipt, I would return everything in my cart. And I left. I am sick and tired of being treated like a criminal. It’s not my fault that theft is a problem, but treating customers like thieves is not the answer. Spend more money on security and fix the problem. As for me, I will be putting more money in Jeff Bezos’ pocket. Amazon has never accused me of being a thief. Wendy Evans, Littleton Plenty of shutdown blame to go around I’m tired of both parties blaming the other party for shutting down the federal government. It’s easy to blame the Republicans for the shutdown since they are refusing to negotiate right now; however, there is plenty of blame to go around. The main issue seems to be about the expiration of health care subsidies, which are a direct result of legislation written and passed by the Democrats. As I understand the legislative history, in 2021, these subsidies were put in place by a Democratic-led bill, which set them to expire. Then in 2022, these subsidies were extended, again by a Democratic-led bill, with a new expiration date of 2025. The Democrats during the Biden administration had multiple opportunities to make the subsidies permanent. The choice was made to make them temporary. Therefore, the fact that they are expiring is not a crisis created by the Republicans; it is a feature of the very bills the Democrats designed and passed. As you can see, both parties are to blame for the government shutdown. The sooner each stops blaming the other and realizes they are part of the problem, perhaps a compromise solution can be found, and the quicker the government can get back to work. Buzz Davis, Wheat Ridge Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.
