'Cash Mob' Will Target Downtown Merchants

You might have heard the term “flash mob” – which is described on Wikipedia as a group of people, generally organized through social media – “to perform an unusual or seemingly pointless act in a public space for the purpose of entertainment, art or satire” – then disperse.

A new kind of social media phenomenon is scheduled to take shape Saturday afternoon in the North and SouthSide downtowns – with the idea of supporting local business as its chief goal.

"Cash Mobs" encourage individuals to support local merchants by patronizing businesses and spending money en masse, thus giving business owners an economic boost, according to a news release from the Downtown Bethlehem Association.

Like flash mobs, Cash Mobs are organized entirely through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

The DBA Cash Mob will target four Bethlehem businesses.

On Main Street, "Cash Mobbers" will target , a boutique and gift shop located at 450 Main St., and , an eatery that opened in February in the Moravian Book Shop at 428 Main Street.

On the SouthSide, "Cash Mobbers" will target MVMNT, an active wear clothing store located at 9 E. Third St., and General Zapata, a local Mexican restaurant at 15 E. Fourth St.

Bethlehem's Cash Mob will take place between 1 and 5 p.m. and will be announced via Twitter and Facebook. DBA's Cash Mob Twitter page is @CM_Bethelehem; the Bethlehem Cash Mob Facebook page can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/BethlehemCashMob.

Saturday is National Cash Mob Day and at least 100 such Cash Mobs are planned in cities across the country. The Cash Mob will also coincide with the final day of Retro Deli's UNICEF Tap Project 2012 drive, which provides tap water to children in developing countries.