Should We Organize a Decatur-Based “Cash Mob”?
Decatur Metro | February 24, 2012I saw this somewhere a couple of days ago, but Derych was good enough to jog my memory with this link. Here’s a summary of a “cash mob” from the PRI article…
Instead of breaking into song, members of cash mobs break open their wallets to spend money at locally owned businesses.
Since starting last year, cash mobs have been organized in 32 states and Canada. But unlike flash mobs, which are generally entertaining and trivial, they come with a serious purpose.
The idea is the brainchild of Buffalo blogger and engineer Chris Smith, who said that Cash Mobs are sort of a reverse Groupon. Instead of offering people bargain-basement deals, people pay the regular price to support retailers in their communities.
It’s a really great idea. I especially like the part about it that it is “a reserve Groupon”. I’ve always had very mixed feelings about those half-price coupons. Especially using them at my favorite local spots. However, we’d need to think of a fair and unbiased way to decided on which business gets a “cash mob”. But it might be doable.
What do you all think? After the jump, see the list of suggested rules for a cash mob from a Cleveland cash mob group. We could adjust them as needed, but I think the “have a drink” afterwards aspect is an important one. I’m sure J_T would organize that part, no questions asked!
Mob Rules
Here are the rules we’ve developed for running cash mobs. THESE ARE JUST SUGGESTED RULES!!! Feel free to change them and let us know if your changes are better and why they work. We’re always interested in variations and suggestions!
- 1) The mob date must be announced at least a week in advance via Twitter.
- 2) The location at which to meet will be announced, but not the specific business to support.
- 3) The amount to spend will not be more than $20, although people can spend more if they wish.
- 4) The business must have products for both men and women.
- 5) The business must be locally owned.
- 6) The business owner must give back to the community in some way.
- 7) The business owner must approve the CashMob before the mob is announced.
- 8) The business must be within one block of a locally-owned watering hole.
- 9) Cash Mobbers must join us for celebratory drinks after the successful mob.
- 10) The cash mob will occur during the evening on a weekday or on a weekend.
- 11) Pictures will be posted to the blog after the CashMob.
- 12) Parking or public transportation must be available.
At the mob, there are three rules:
Spend $20;
Meet three people you didn’t know before;
HAVE FUN!!!
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While I generally do not appreciate being volunteered for anything, I’ll give DM a pass on this one and happily take up the task of coordinating the “have a drink afterwards” aspect if he does get this going! I’m sure we can even work out a deal with one of our fine, locally-owned watering holes to reserve space and offer a few specials.
I combine the cash mob and ‘have a drink afterward’ in one stop.
Every friday in the Belgian Bar…
I’d happily join in a Decatur based Cash Mob! What a great idea. I particularly like the “business must regularly give back to the community” criteria. There are a lot of businesses that meet that test in Decatur!
Love the idea. We’ll donate Decatur Cash Mob tees for cost if you think that’d help awareness.
Awesome. Would be another good incentive to get people to participate. Since J_T has already volunteered for the amorphous task of “coordinating” the drinking side of things, we’ll just have him pass them out at the bar afterwards. Just need to show your receipt from the cash-mobbed store!
We could also crowd source the design.
Wow, I read that as “we’ll just have him pass out at the bar afterwards.” Maybe that too!
I would take offense but…um…yeah…I can see how that would be your initial reaction. Perhaps we can draft Mrs. J_T for the receipt checking and shirt handing outing
I’m in! Can we help Blue Elephant?
Ditto on this!
This is a good idea to help support our Decatur businesses.
There is a cash mob scheduled for Sunday at Sugar Coated Radical in the Old 4th Ward. Dreadful story. It’s at this link: http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2012/02/23/old-fourth-ward-grocery-store-owner-killed-sugar-coated-radical-robbed
I posted a story about a Cash Mob in Knoxville that was helping save a mom and pop store in danger of closing. I still propose we do this for Blue Elephant!!! Any chance we could save them?
Not sure if it would save them. Their issue may be a long-term viability issue, not a temporary set back. But what the heck? They’re a great store and deserve whatever revenues they get whether they close or not.
I’d do anything I could to confuse an economist. What better way than to mess with bounded rationality?
Hi! We at Cash Mob Atlanta will be having at least 1 cash mob in Decatur soon! The date/time has yet to be announced and we are working with a few other Decatur businesses to firm up details. We would LOVE recommendations on other Decatur businesses to cash mob and would greatly value your input! Please join us in cash mobbing Atlanta! You can find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cash-Mob-Atlanta/247314585352008 and on Twitter @cashmobatlanta
You can also email us at
Our very first cash mob in the Atlanta area will be on March 6th- please join us! Hope that you will spread the word!!
How about choosing several businesses, so that no one is overwhelmed? A mix of restaurants and stores would be good – -
Seems like having mote than one business participating would kind of defeat the purpose.
Seems like having more than one business participating would kind of defeat the purpose.
Decatur CD.
Decatur CD would be great! We will contact them. Please chime in if you have a good contact there!
Alison, is Cash Mob Atlanta a non-profit or do you arrange for a cut of the merchant’s gross sales>
+1
It’s not a non-profit and we do not take any $$$ from anyone. It’s truly just a group of people getting together to shop as a group at a surprise location with the purpose of supporting local businesses. Hope that helps! Join us- the more cash mobbers the better!
Not to be the bad guy here, but isn’t this just artificially propping up a failing business that can’t survive in the marketplace on it’s own merits? Isn’t this unfair to competitors who are working just as hard or harder? (e.g. In Blue Elephant’s case, Little Shop and Eagle Eye)? How is this any different than charity?
I have these concerns too. But I don’t think the concept is about it’s propping up a failing business as much as ensuring that a community continue to have a business that it badly wants or needs. Whether this concept works or not long-term, I don’t know. For example, a community might badly need a veterinarian because the nearest one is 50 miles away and that’s not good for animal emergencies. So folks band together and agree to support the local vet even for routine needs so that vet can stay afloat in the community. Does that work? I don’t know. In the case of Blue Elephant, I’d argue that I lose out when it closes. I love Little Shop and Eagle Eye but they are very different stores. Their selection of books is very different from Blue Elephant and Eagle Eye is not within walking/browsing distance from my home, nor next to a walkable coffeeshop (you have to get into your ##$$%^ car to safely cross over that intersection to Chocolate!) So I would love to think of creative ways to keep Blue Elephant in place–I don’t believe they are working any less than the other bookstores, but their new book niche is more difficult to support. However, at some point, a niche that is hard to support may just not be supportable even if it’s a loss to the community. Many small communities are losing their local post offices even though nothing else has come in to replace services like passports, packages, mail supplies, PO boxes etc.
If people are spending money in exchange for product, it’s not charity. It’s just coordinated patronage. It doesn’t prop anything up artificially because it’s still consumers exercising their choices to participate based on what they value. If they value the business and realize they’d be worse off without it (for whatever reasons), they can make the choice to get involved.
Sometimes a struggling business may add value to a community in other ways, which can make people willing to support them in less than conventional ways as well. Cash mobs are just a tool for coordinating that sentiment.
If people don’t think a place is worth saving, they won’t show up. At least that’s how I understand it.
I agree with Scott Re: “coordinated patronage” vs. propping up a failing business.
For example, I thought that the use of the Cash Mob for helping out the Sugar Coated Radical (who was robbed) was great. It not only helped them recover their profits stolen, but also allowed the community to make a statement about how they will not give into crime and violence.
However, asking for “donations” for something like in the case of a for profit business like Wordsmith’s or Outwrite bookstore is another matter and is something that I have not supported in the past. But if customers wanted to band together to buy a bunch of stuff at any of these stores to give them a cash infusion, and a new lease in life, then more power to them. Running a locally owned small business is tough, and sometimes a little help is all that is needed to get beyond a tough time. Or at least it may give that business another lease on life and prevent them from closing because of a temporary setback such as a robbery, health issue, or even a one time business mistake.
As a small business owner, I am intrigued by the Cash Mob movement simply because it raises awareness of the need to support local, small business. However, I have some trouble with it also. For small businesses to survive, they need continued patronage, not just a one day influx of customers. I do see how a Cash Mob event could bring new customers to a business and would be interested to see statistics on returning customers once this movement has more of a track record.
Our reality is that we need people to support us ALL the time, not just two or three times a year.
The 3/50 Project is a great way to support your local businesses year round:
http://www.the350project.net/home.html
OK, I just lost my response into the ether-net, but I was just saying that I also have reservations about it. It’s great that it’s the “anti-Groupon”, which I also have reservations about, but on a larger scale, what can a one-day cash infusion really provide if the end game is about supporting local businesses?
But maybe it’s more about creating communities who drink together and love local businesses than anything else? Then I guess I have no real problem with it. I guess it depends on what the real “intent” of the effort. As long as people don’t walk away from it thinking, “OK, I’ve done my share of local business support for the year. Back to Target!”, I guess it can’t hurt things.
Here’s what they do in Fort Collins, Colorado. It looks pretty cool.
http://www.belocalnc.org/plaid-mob/
Watch out… in some areas there are companies popping up that are PAID (by the business itself) to organize a cash mob for business (i.e. relylocal.com) — so you don’t know if the business is actually in need or just using a “good” marketing plan to lure you in. Sad.
Just to clarify- Cash Mob Atlanta is just a group of friends NOT getting any compensation for organizing cash mobs. NONE. We’re just having a few hours of fun shopping at local businesses. Plain and simple. Please join us at a cash mob if you want to!