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Kids & Family

"Cash Mobbers" Seek to Boost Local Business Revenue

The Brookline Chamber of Commerce held the event on Saturday to coincide with National Cash Mob Day.

Despite the gloomier weather on Saturday, a small yet enthusiastic group of Brookline community members came out to show their support for a local–and national–cause.

In the St. Mary’s business district, members of the community participated in ” The event was coordinated by the for this Saturday because March 24 is National Cash Mob day.

The purpose of a “Cash Mob” is to encourage members in a community to shop at one store, or shopping district, in order to boost small and local business revenue. Participants, or “mobbers,” are typically encouraged to spend around $20.

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“We feel that Cash Mobs are important because they encourage people to shop at local, independent stores in their communities,” said Harry Robinson, Executive Director of the Brookline Chamber of Commerce. “The concept is popular because it is a local, grass roots way for people to support their local business communities.”

Participants arrived around 3 p.m. and checked in at a table outside of and received a yellow sticker that identified them as “mobbers.” Participants were also given multicolored Mardi Gras beads.

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Organizers yelled chants of “Shop local, join the Cash Mob” to lure passersby to the cause.

“Participating is a great way to directly support local businesses, to learn about businesses they may not already know about, and to have fun,” said Robinson.

On a Andrew Samtoy, an attorney who runs the Cash Mobs Wordpress site, writes that the three rules for the events are “spend $20, meet three people you didn’t know before, and have fun.”   

Even though participants are encouraged to spend a minimum amount, Robinson said that the point of the event is really to show. The St. Mary’s business district was chosen as the mob site because the area lost revenue during .

“There is no expectation on any specific revenue gains.  The main goal is to encourage increased shopping in the area stores and for participants to have some fun,” he said.

To learn more about the Brookline Chamber of Commerce, follow them on Twitter @BrooklineChmbr or visit their Facebook page: facebook.com/BrooklineChamber.

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