Online or in person, shop small and local businesses this holiday season (Letters)

Online or in person shop small and local businesses this holiday season Black Friday Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday mark the most of crucial stretch of the year for various founders like me For small brands holiday sales don t just fuel increase 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 encouragement 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 countless 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 public 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 promotion small businesses it s key that policymakers avoid adding obstructions that make it harder for independent entrepreneurs to participate in the digital market system 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 urgent 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 predicament In the present day I went to Walmart I purchased 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 inquired me if I had a receipt I certainly do I replied She solicited to see it I refused and narrated her that I did not steal anything could she not see the three paper bags which I also paid for I also reported 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 issue but treating customers like thieves is not the answer Spend more money on measure and fix the dilemma 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 governing body 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 fitness care subsidies which are a direct product of act written and passed by the Democrats As I understand the legislative history in these subsidies were put in place by a Democratic-led bill which set them to expire Then in these subsidies were extended again by a Democratic-led bill with a new expiration date of 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 emergency 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 administration shutdown The sooner each stops blaming the other and realizes they are part of the obstacle perhaps a compromise resolution can be detected and the quicker the cabinet 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 To send a letter to the editor about this article submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail