Our first ever Cash Mob event in Enfield was inspired by a conversation on Twitter; a pregnant friend was asking where she could buy raspberry leaf tea from locally, she had quite a few replies suggesting various chain stores but not one mention of an amazing local and independent shop, called The Village Wholefood Store.
Something needed to be done to put this store into the forefront of people’s minds, something needed to be done to change their shopping habits. A tweeted answer wouldn’t be enough, this needed something bigger…
What on earth is a SHOCK cash mob?!
So, a Cash Mob event was created on Facebook, called SHOCK Cash Mob, the twist that elevated this event out of the ordinary, was the shock part, where the retailer would have no idea that this event was going to happen and the location would be revealed to the participants, only after they had agreed to take part, just hours before the event itself took place!
This created a real buzz for people, the fact that it wasn’t plastered all over Facebook and Twitter, made it very exciting, it felt wonderful to be planning a community action that would actually make a big difference and only take a small number of people, to make that difference.
Local Press Support
The Enfield Advertiser newspaper http://www.enfield-today.co.uk/ agreed to support the event and sent a photographer and a reporter down to record our community action, as it unfolded, which would help to create an even bigger boost for that business by having extra publicity!
A group of ten of us accumulated, just out of sight from the shop, then we all marched in a line waving our ten pound notes and explained to the shop owner, Jill Simpson, that we had each come into her shop, in order to buy at least £10 worth of goodies from her.
Fantastic Social Shopping Experience – Real benefit for the retailers!
There was such a good vibe, it was the best shopping experience that I’ve ever had! People met new people and chatted with friends. One of the participants, local artist, Samantha Anne Hutchinson, even spoke to Jill about the possibility of using the wall space in the shop, for local artists to exhibit on!
I asked Jill Simpson, the shop owner how the SHOCK Cash Mob had made her feel and she told me,
‘It was a very exciting event. What an amazing mob! Thank you to Karen and everyone who came and supported The Village Wholefood Store. I will make every effort to support you all. Let me know if you have any ideas that we can help with. I will do my absolute best to come to the next one.”
And this is what just some of the participants had to say,
Samantha Anne Hutchinson, Artist: I loved it, I loved the shop, I loved the products and the concept! Brilliant!
Mary Huckle, Breakthrough Fitness: Well organised and a very innovative way of keeping it ‘local’. It was good fun.
Ana Elisa Remigio: I felt excited and proud to be a part of it. Thanks for organising. And I have some lovely healthy stuff that I needed to buy.
My pregnant friend, Kim Inam, came along too and did at long last get her Raspberry Leaf Tea, from an independent, local retailer! She told me,
Kim Inam: ‘I really enjoyed myself, meeting new people, as well as discovering a new shop.’
More SHOCK cash mobs planned in the run up to Christmas!
That was the first SHOCK cash Mob, in a series of ten, planned in the run up to Christmas.
Basically, if we want to boost the local economy, we need to think about where we spend our money and we need to think independent!
If you want to find out more about great independent food businesses in Enfield and want to find out when the next SHOCK Cash Mob will be, then look at the Foodies Enfield facebook page. (www.facebook.com/foodiesenfield)
This blog was kindly provided by Karen Mercer, Co-Founder of My Coffee Stop in Enfield…. And WE want to know when SHE is going to get visited by a SHOCK cash mob too 🙂
About Clare Bailey
Clare Bailey, The Retail Champion (formerly Clare Rayner), is one of the most well-known and respected retail experts in the UK. With unrivalled knowledge in retail, high streets and consumer matters, she offers unbiased, independent content – whether engaged as a professional speaker, for broadcast media, or for a written feature.
Clare is a business woman, entrepreneur and founder of several small businesses. Having been born into a family of successful business owners, it was inevitable that she’d eventually jump off the corporate treadmill and step out on her own! Today her brand portfolio includes The Retail Champion, The Retail Conference, the Future High Street Summit and the Support for Independent Retail campaign. In addition, she is co-founder of Mobaro Retail UK and a non-exec director of Beed Virtual Assistant Services.
Having started her career as a fast-track store management trainee for McDonalds, she went on to work with leading retailers such as M&S, Dixons and Argos. She moved swiftly into management roles before being headhunted into senior consulting roles with global software giant SAP, and international management consulting brand, Accenture.
Her corporate background in senior retail, consulting and technology roles, coupled with her experience of creating and running her own business, has enabled her to be equally capable whether consulting to global brands or micro businesses. This unique blend has not only positioned her as a leading expert in all things retail, but has enabled her to add meaningful commentary and insight to the debate around the future of the high street, and, how technology is driving fundamental change in the way consumers, and businesses, interact.
Clare has become an influential voice in her field, which has resulted in her becoming a regular media contributor and sought-after conference speaker. Often seen on Good Morning Britain, BBC Breakfast, Sky News, and Chanel 5 (to name a few), Clare speaks on a myriad of retail, high street and consumer issues – but is particular adept when it comes to explaining the context behind retail trading results, newly released data, and government stats, in a palatable and informative manner.
In addition to broadcast and conference speaking, Clare is the proud author of two best-selling business books published by Kogan Page - The Retail Champion: 10 Steps to Retail Success, published July 2012 and How to Sell to Retail: The Secrets of Getting Your Product to Market, published February 2013. She has provided contributions to various academic texts, including Retail Marketing Management (published by Pearson).
With an engaging, conversational yet informative style, Clare writes for press and content agencies, providing features, articles, blogs and opinion pieces as well as contributions to white papers and reports.
However, when the situation demands a more serious style, Clare can deliver - In 2016 she wrote an extensive report for a major insurance and risk law firm, as a retail expert witness, to support a public liability suit. She found that project particularly enjoyable as it played well to her strengths – assimilating large amounts of data and information, identifying the key points and articulating that in an understandable manner.
When not on TV or speaking at conferences, Clare’s “day job” sees her supporting consumer-facing businesses through her consultancy services.
When asked to describe what she most loves about retail consulting it is typically the opportunity to “dig deep”, getting “under the bonnet”, in order to leverage the business data to uncover the insights that lead to “lightbulb moments”. She also loves working on business change programmes that centre on improving the processes and systems to increase profitability by supporting more rapid, better informed decision making, improving the customer experience, or simply by become more efficient and streamlined. In this respect she considers herself a “business engineer” with a brain that works like a relational database! Due to her years of experience, her logical, objective approach, her quick, rational thinking, she is known for being able to cut through complexity, seeing right through to the crux of issues, finding creative solutions that others may have overlooked.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Clare is a working mum, juggling a home life in rural Lincolnshire with her partner, their 5 kids, 4 cats, and geriatric Labrador!
For all enquiries, contact Clare directly on 01727 238890 or email champion@retailchampion.co.uk.
Independent Retail 
Hi Clare,
I’m not sure if it was you or one of the other organisers who sent us a message via the Harringay Market site, but to whoever it was, thanks.
I’m delighted the Harringay cashmob organised through Networked Neighbourhoods and Harringay Online inspired you guys to follow suit. It’s a great tool for activating support for local retail and building local social capital at the same time.
It’s really just an extension of one of the things we’re working hard at with some great results, using local social media to support neighbourhoods, including local economies. You missed a great debate we took part in on this area at RIBA this week.
Hugh