Many people don’t really know the origin of the national holiday that we are celebrating today. Truth be told, I didn’t either.   The short answer is today we celebrate the birthday of George Washington, the father of our country, who was born on February 22, 1732. Why is it called Presidents Day and not Washington’s Day? Well, in 1968, there was an attempt to change the day to President’s Day, to celebrate both Abraham Lincoln (born February 12, 1809) and Washington ’s birthday on the same day. The attempt failed, but the name stuck – hence we are celebrating Presidents Day. 

Most retailers look to Presidents Day as the first retail push following the dismal holiday shopping season. Many of the big chains rely on national advertising programs to reach their local audiences on big holiday sale weekends such as this.  Local advertising may come in the form of newspaper, radio, direct mail and local internet marketing.   We too believe in the value of these mediums to advertise screaming deals on holiday weekends. As much as I hate the idea of adding another insert into the pile of flyers that fall out of the newspaper on holiday weekends such as this, they inevitably work. Even better, franchisors are slowly adopting marketing software tools to help them develop local advertising strategies, tailored to their local markets. So, not only will their messages reach their local consumers, they may actually be relevant to them!   

So, if you aren't working today, pick up a newspaper, turn on your favorite radio station and hit a few sales. The economy could use a little boost.