What’s a cash mob you ask? Cash mobs are an organized effort to help a specific small business on a particular day and time to boost their bottom line. Organized through social media sites such as facebook and Twitter, this “new social-networking-and-shopping movement” asks that people go to a particular store at a specified day and time with $20 in cash and spend it!
When OakParkApartments.com employees Bill Erickson and Wendy Planek heard about this latest “buy local” campaign called “cash mobs” the idea caught their attention.
“I kept hearing about various “buy local” initiatives and it struck a chord. I also was reading statistics that quoted one in four small business owners say that poor sales is their top problem and that for every $100 spent locally $68 returns to the community. Those stats were powerful – it put real numbers on the impact of shopping local,” felt Planek. Then I read about “cash mobs” on facebook and I thought that this is doable.”
Being part of OakParkApartments.com, a small business that just celebrated their 25th
anniversary, Planek knows that running a small business can be a struggle and wanted to help other small businesses by increasing the awareness of the importance of shopping local.
Bill Erickson, property manager at OakParkApatments.com then, in an effort to further educate and spread awareness, set up facebook and Twitter sites specifically supporting the Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest cash mob initiative. Ericksons’ thoughts sum it up best, “It’s about remembering to shop local, remembering how great our communities are, infusing local businesses with cash and avoiding the big boxes.”
Careful Peach Boutique, Green Home Experts, Blue Max Coffee and Scratch N’ Sniff have all been mobbed. Erickson commented that though the crowds have been somewhat small they have been very enthusiastic and committed to shopping local.
Help support this grass-roots, “buy local” initiative by visiting Twitter.com/LocalFlash, or Facebook.com/FlashLocal where next cash mob site will be posted.
Both Erickson and Planek agree that this initiative’s main goal is to educate the
community on the importance of shopping local and to have people get to know the local merchants and what they have to offer!
