Cash mob to help downtown Blacksburg businesses
You’ve heard of flash mobs. How about cash mobs?
The idea behind this latest trend is to encourage a large group of people to spend their money en masse at a designated local business “to give the business owner a little bit of economic stimulus,” according to the Cash Mob website.
Downtown Blacksburg Inc. is organizing a cash mob for March 8 to go with their Small Business Saturday and BUY EAT LIVE Local campaigns. Downtown Blacksburg Inc. will announce which business will be mobbed a week before the event.
The Roanoke Times’ New River Valley publication, The Burgs, has more details.
What do you make of this trend?
February 22, 2012 - 9:00 AM
I like this idea…but they seem to want to make it a little more “exclusive” than I think is necessary. From their online summary, they want the group to meet ahead of time to find out the target, the go over as a group and socialize after. Other Cash Mobs I’ve read about are very open…all day events. Come, do what you can and go. Sorry…I’d like to aprticipate but on my own time that day.
Strange concept. Having read the links, what I hear is that of the 75 downtown businesses, 74 will not be chosen to do business with. It must be done on an evening or weekend, eliminating candidates based on the hours. Downtown businesses, evening hours???
I am positively all for supporting downtown & small independents.
The picture that comes to mind is 20-30 people invading a 400-500 sq. ft. business with one or two salespeople. (Bull in the china closet ring a bell?) All the ideals of a small business, service, personal interaction, etc. are out the window as the business ends up with a standing room only disaster.
Not to be negative, but there must be a better way of supporting more of the independent small business community…
@Steve: This cash mob will be on a Thursday at 5:48 p.m. (such a strange time). Downtown Blacksburg Inc. told The Burgs reporter that they have plans to cash mob a business at least once a month for the foreseeable future.
Steve, I also found it… interesting that the ‘mob’ would flood one single business at one single time, without notice to the stores. It seems like an excuse to hang out at a particular business (spend ‘up to$20′?) and create havoc for the business without any notice.
To me it almost sounds like a way to flood a small independent business with loiterers who might drive away customers who wanted to spend more than ‘up to $20′.
What is wrong with the same group of people who desire the ‘edgy’ label meeting once a month and deciding to spend $50 each that month in locally owned business across the area? That’s $50 in local businesses spent in one month. Not on frivolous things, but on regular items that you’d ‘normally’ but elsewhere. Or $20? If it has to be that cheap for the enthusiasts to support, $20 monthly. What’s wrong with doing that? Heck, go to Michaels or JoAnn’s or any independent wherever and buy a rubber stamp of ‘NRV’ or ‘LOCAL’ or whatever you want to stamp on your paper money.
Yea, yeah, all the knee jerk responses about – ‘you can’t deface US currency, yadda yadda…’ The point is, this seems to not be as holistic as the proponents pretend.
I’m as rabid as anyone about supporting local businesses, but this seems misdirected.
The only thing that is going to save Blacksburg businesses is a new Town Council mob that is in favor of actual business activity.
Jack’s Subs in Radford is up for sale due to an illness in the family. There were signs this morning on the windows saying the restaurant fixtures were for sale.
I agree with the other commenters; this seems a little misdirected and a tad ridiculous. I’ll be sure to monitor what days and times they do these things so that I can avoid being downtown those afternoons. I don’t want to take the chance of being run over by a “mob” of people spending $5/ea.
@Matt: Thanks for the tip.
I think I would rather support the ailing family from the sub shop
than to be told where to go and what to do.
concept is fractured @ best.
To many variables.
Who excipricated this disaster…?
Its really saying desperate times call for desperate measures.
What if I told you what to do with your time & money?
Wow…that wasn`t very nice, but I asked for it….ouch, that still hurts a little…
Stuff a buttload of people into a small retail shop at the same time?
“Rash mob”