Spring 2012

Cash in on Cash Mobs By Heather Johnson Durocher

Cashing in on the Mob Mentality

So you’ve got a cash mob coming to your store. Here’s how to maximize the event: 


Make sure to get an email or contact address from people present, encouraging them to get on your mailing list. Offer incentives for doing so.

Post pictures and/or video on Facebook and tag “mobsters” — and go to mob sites and post your gratitude in public so others can see, says Lynn Switanowski, of Creative Business Consulting Group in Boston, MA.

Send a personal thank you note for participating and supporting small business. “That goes a long way,” Switanowski says, adding that your goal is to help create an emotional connection to your store for customers.

Offer a coupon for the next time the customer comes into your store, and offer extra coupons to give to friends and family of the cash mob participants.

Support other cash mobs in your trading area to give back.

Heather Johnson Durocher

Durocher is a northern Michigan-based journalist who writes frequently about business for newspapers and magazines. She has contributed to USA Weekend, Woman's Day, Parents and American Baby. Visit her website at HeatherDurocher.com