What are Cash Mobs?
Cash Mobs are flash mobs, but instead of singing and dancing, people spend money as a group! They target the small, local businesses that make each community special in order to give the business owners an economic stimulus. They help businesses grow, they make people happy, buyers find something to buy, people have a great time and get together to celebrate afterward!
Who Is/Are Cash Mobs?
“Cash Mobs” are organized by people trying to make a positive impact on the businesses in their communities (and have fun while doing it)! Organizers are not paid for the work they do; they organize Cash Mobs in order to benefit their communities.
Where do we see Cash Mobs going?
The answer is, quite simply: we don’t know.
Cash Mobs are sprouting up all over the world, from America to Australia, Italy to Argentina. At the same time, they are evolving; some mobs focus on restaurants, some on grocery stores and farmers markets.
You can find information on cash mobs all across the Internet, but start here http://cash-mobs.com/ A list of tips for organizers can be found at http://cash-mobs.com/want-to-cash-mob/ and a list of rules at http://cash-mobs.com/rules-2/…….Note that the “drinks” after a Cash Mob have been as simple as ice tea at a diner.
Cash Mobs have been successful in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis. It’s time to have a few more! There are three simple rules for the participants:
At the mob, there are three rules:
- Spend $20;
- Meet three people you didn’t know before;
- HAVE FUN!!!
Anyone can organize a cash mob and often it’s the Chamber of Commerce that pulls everything together. In Daytona Beach the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce organized its first cash mob event when local residents descended on the Sew & Quilt Shop.
It’s a grass-roots, community-led movement to support local businesses. With $20 in hand, chamber members and others come together to shop in a locally-owned small business, at a set time, on a specific day – but the location is only known to the organizers and the small business owner until the time of the event when the location is announced via social media. It’s a win-win all around: cash mobbers have fun, businesses make money and the local economy gets a boost.
It can be a bonanza for local small businesses. When a cash mob hit Appalachia Press in Roanoke, Virginia, they sold stationery, books and prints to 54 customers in less than an hour. Even during the Christmas season it takes a full day to rack up that many sales. In Roanoke it was not the Chamber, but a group of local residents who put together their own informal committee to promote cash mobs.
Cash mobs can put dollars in the till and have a positive psychological influence on small business owners who sometimes see themselves as constantly swimming against the tide. The Roanoke Virginia printer shared “There are months when you wonder if you can continue and if printing has to be a hobby and not your career, but this little cash mob was just so joyful. Even though it was just one night, it does make you feel appreciated.”
Who will be the leaders for the first Cash Mob in your area? Are you among them? If you need help with your planning, let’s chat.
