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How Small Businesses Can Win Big on Black Friday

Published: November 24, 2025

Suppose a customer asks to pay for a $200 order with cryptocurrency. Can you accept it? How would you know you’ve been paid? And would $200 still be $200 by the time the money reaches your business account?

You don’t need to know how to buy Bitcoin to ask those questions.

They’re the same questions you probably asked when you first signed on with Stripe or any of those new payment methods: What does it cost, when do I get paid, and what happens if something goes wrong?

But if you’re scratching your head wondering who’s paying in crypto and how, it’s not as far away as you think.

What in the World Is Cryptocurrency?

Crypto is a broad term for digital assets that can be transferred through a computer network called a blockchain. Think of a blockchain as a shared record of transactions. Instead of a bank maintaining the only record of a payment, the network records it according to its own rules.

A business can use a payment service to handle much of the technical work, just as it uses a processor to accept credit cards.

There’s a distinction worth knowing: Bitcoin and stablecoins serve different purposes. Bitcoin’s price can change substantially. A stablecoin, like the name suggests, is designed to maintain a steadier value, commonly by tracking the U.S. dollar. “Designed to” is the kicker. A stablecoin still depends on the company issuing it and the arrangements behind it. It isn’t the same as having dollars in your bank account. 

That difference helps explain why digital payments have entered the small business and government conversation. At a September 2026 House Small Business subcommittee hearing, lawmakers examined whether these tools could lower payment costs, help businesses get paid sooner, and make transactions with customers or suppliers in other countries easier. The hearing also raised the questions owners need answered about conversion, taxes, and fraud. 

Where Could Crypto Payments Help?

Before you start writing this off as science fiction, there might be some real advantages to at least entertaining the possibilities of alternative payment methods. These include:

Payment costs. If you make hundreds of small sales, processing fees add up. A digital payment option might cost less for certain transactions. Compare the full cost, though, including the provider’s fees, conversion rate, and any charge to move money into your bank account. The lowest advertised fee may not be the lowest final cost.

Payment timing. Some digital asset networks operate around the clock. That could be useful if your business routinely waits for funds, particularly from international buyers. But the network’s speed is only part of the story. A payment provider may have its own processing or withdrawal schedule. Ask when the dollars will be available for payroll, inventory, or bills.

Customer choice. If customers have asked to pay this way, offering the option might remove a barrier to a sale. If no one has asked and your current methods work well, the added setup may bring little benefit.

Cash flow makes the timing question an important one. In the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2025 report on employer firms, 51% of respondents identified uneven cash flow as a financial challenge. Faster access to a particular payment could help some businesses, though it won’t solve the larger causes of uneven revenue or late invoices. 

Just like other payment methods, the decision of whether to accept crypto as payment is up to you. If you’re considering it, you should understand next steps.

What Happens After a Customer Pays?

What happens depends on the service you choose. One provider may convert the digital asset to dollars and send a deposit to your bank account. Another arrangement may leave your business holding the asset until you decide to convert it. Those are different decisions with different risks and recordkeeping needs.

Before signing up, walk through one ordinary sale and one refund.

Ask the provider:

  • What will the customer send and what will my business receive?
  • What’s the total cost on a sale at my typical price?
  • When will funds reach my bank account?
  • How are refunds handled if the asset’s price changes?
  • What records will I receive for bookkeeping and taxes?

Tax implication note: The IRS says businesses must account for the U.S. dollar value of digital assets received as payment. Selling or exchanging assets later can bring further tax reporting requirements, so review the proposed setup with your accountant before using it for regular sales. 

Take security seriously, too. Crypto payments generally don’t offer the familiar reversal process of a credit card payment. The FTC also warns that scammers may impersonate a supplier or other trusted contact and demand payment in cryptocurrency. Verify any unexpected request to send funds using a phone number or contact method you already know. 

Your Experience Belongs in the Policy Conversation

This is an ongoing conversation. Federal rules for digital assets continue to develop, including rules related to payment stablecoins. Small business owners should have a say in whether those rules are understandable and workable for a company without a compliance department.

That’s where your chamber can help. Tell your chamber what you’d need before considering a digital payment option. Is your concern the cost of accepting payments, the time it takes to receive them, fraud protection, or the work of keeping tax records? If you’ve tried one of these services, share what happened in practice.

Your chamber can bring those examples to lawmakers and help members get straightforward answers as the rules take shape. You don’t have to be ready to accept crypto to have a useful voice in the conversation. You already know what a payment system needs to do for your business.

 

Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle, rediscovering the magic within.

_______________________________________

Medium: @christinametcalf

Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking

Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor

LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

You already know this but you will never out-doorbuster the big box stores. You are not supposed to. Your power is not in pallets of TVs sold near cost to get people in the door. It is in how people feel when they walk through your door.

If you lean into experience, Black Friday can shift from “we cannot compete” to “we own this lane.” Here’s how:

6 Ways to Win at Black Friday

1. Position Your Business as the Calm in the Chaos

Black Friday is loud, crowded, and a little unhinged. Use that to your advantage by being the opposite.

Think of your business as a holiday oasis.

Ideas you can try:

  • Quiet Hours Shopping. Offer “calm hours” in the early morning or later evening with softer lighting, relaxed music, and a limited number of shoppers by RSVP. This is an ideal way to stand out.
  • Cozy Comfort Station. Set up a hydration and warmth bar. Think hot cocoa, tea, cucumber water, and maybe a simple snack. You are literally refueling tired shoppers.
  • Phone Drop Zone. Create a “scroll break” basket where people can put their phones while they browse. Add a small sign: “You will not find peace in your notifications. Try here instead.”

You become the place where shoulders drop and breathing slows. That alone is a competitive edge.

2. Make Black Friday Feel VIP, Not Bargain Bin

People love to feel like insiders. Use that instinct.

Ideas to elevate the day:

  • By-Appointment Shopping. Offer 30-minute mini appointments for styling, gifting help, or product demos. Shoppers leave with decisions made and gifts checked off.
  • First Look Access. Give your email list, top customers, or loyalty members early access to your best bundles or limited items. Frame it as a thank you, not a gimmick.
  • “Done and Dusted” Gift Packages. Curate grab and go gift sets for specific people: “Teacher TLC,” “Hostess Hero,” “Self-Care Sunday,” “Office Secret Santa.” The value is not only in the items. It is in the decision fatigue you remove.

You are not trying to be the cheapest. You are trying to be the easiest and the most thoughtful.

3. Turn Shopping into a Memory, Not a Chore

If the big box experience feels like a stampede, yours can feel like a respite.

Add small, memorable touches:

  • Gratitude Wall. Invite customers to write what they are grateful for on tags or sticky notes and hang them on a wall or tree. It creates a moment of reflection and looks great on social.
  • Photo Moments. Set up a simple photo nook. A decorated chair, a small backdrop, a “We survived Black Friday together” sign. Offer to take photos for customers on their phones.
  • Word of Mouth Marvels. Ideally, word of mouth testimonials will come from customers in the form of reviews or social posts. But you can also use the help of your employees. Help customers feel more confident about their purchases by telling them things like, “That’s one of our biggest sellers” or “I bought that for my son’s teacher and she loved it.” These short employee-led testimonials work in-person and even as physical signs near a popular product or service. If you’re not a believer, check out how Amazon designates some of its products as “Amazon’s Choice.”

4. Create Sensory Experiences That Match Your Brand

Use all five senses to stand out.

  • Sight. Make your best bundles and gift solutions front and center. Use clear signage like “Gifts under $25” or “Perfect for the person who has everything.”
  • Sound. Choose a playlist that fits your brand. Calm acoustic, jazzy holiday, or upbeat pop. Just be deliberate.
  • Smell. A subtle holiday scent can make your store feel warm and inviting. Candles, diffusers, or even a simmer pot if it is safe.
  • Taste. If allowed, offer small sips or bites. Think sample cocoa, infused water, or a local treat.
  • Touch. Invite people to try, test, feel, and flip through. Hands-on experiences make products more real and more likely to be purchased.

You want people to feel like they have stepped into a curated world, not just another errand.

5. Partner with Other Local Businesses

You do not have to do Black Friday alone. Collaboration makes everything bigger without blowing your budget.

Ideas:

  • Oasis Trail. Partner with nearby businesses to create a “Holiday Sanity Route.” Each shop offers a comfort element or mini perk. Share a simple map online and in print.
  • Shared Experiences. Host a pop-up inside your store featuring a local baker, maker, or artist. It brings their audience to you and gives your customers something extra to enjoy.

This is how you turn one good experience into a whole neighborhood story.

6. Communicate Clearly and Early

A great experience still needs promotion.

  • Share your Black Friday “experience menu” on social media, your website, and via email.
  • Focus the message on how people will feel. Less “10 percent off.” More “Skip the chaos and actually enjoy your holiday shopping.”
  • Let your chamber know what you’re doing. They may share it in their newsletters or social feeds and send more people your way.

If you can make Black Friday feel human, calm, and a little bit magical, you will not just survive it. You will stand out from all the noise and become a place people seek out year after year. They’ll feel like you understand their needs.

You don’t want to compete in the race to the bottom on price. You are competing in something much more powerful: the memory of how your business made people feel in the middle of holiday madness.

 

 

 

Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle, rediscovering the magic within.

_______________________________________

Medium: @christinametcalf

Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking

Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor

LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

 

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