Most people have heard of “Flash Mobs” where something wacky like a sudden dance or an seemingly impromtu musical number breaks out in the middle of a food court, library, or train station. I get the entertainment value and they usually make me laugh… I have not however been on the planning or receiving end. So what happens when you take this entertaining idea of getting people together to produce a spectacle and put a local and social spin on it? You get – instead of a Flash Mob – a Cash Mob! They are becoming a national phenomenon… so much so in fact that they have their own day. Yes, you too can celebrate National Cash Mob Day on March 24th. Here is the general idea of a Cash Mob: encourage people to go into small, local independently owned businesses and spend their money (usually $20), en masse, to give the business owner a little bit of economic stimulus! Typically, there is drinking to follow at a nearby watering hole!
The origins of concept trace back to Buffalo, NY in August of 2011 – organized by blogger Christopher Smith. Other independent waves of organization sprouted up later in the year led by Andrew Samtoy, an attorney at Dworken & Bernstein in Cleveland, OH. Since then, Cash Mobs have been popping up all across the U.S., Canada, and around the world. While organized by many different groups of people, all appear to have the same goal in mind: to support the local businesses that they love! Here’s a quote from Christopher Smith:
“It’s not just about the money that comes in that day, It’s about a real small business that doesn’t have a lot of money and a marketing budget. They get a little earned media coverage they wouldn’t normally get that allows them to establish themselves a little bit more.”
And wouldn’t you know it… yah, sure, you betcha… Cash Mobs have arrived in the Twin Cities! Moss Envy is currently in the running to be mobbed… if you would like to cast your vote for our shop (you must have a Facebook account) then CLICK HERE TO VOTE. This particular cash mob happens this Sunday, March 11th in the afternoon. The Twin Cities Cash Mob effort can be found at their Facebook page. And while their Facebook group is called CashMobMPLS – they do hope to reach out past Minneapolis into the surrounding areas. Despite whether we win or not this round, we hope to continue to support this concept. Because really, it’s not good enough to have a great idea. You have to actually act on it. As of earlier today there were near 200 votes from people supporting their favorite local shop, but only 6 people RSVPed on the Facebook Event Page. What this really needs is to be picked up by a local news outlet… anyone?
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