I am surprised they are charging the merchants $50 to participate. They are suffering enough with the construction as it is. This wonderful idea should be a gift to the merchants for withstanding the construction!!

I agree with Sue.

One question & one suggestion:
If I give whoever is in charge my email & my mobile phone number, will that data ONLY be used for this event (unless I voluntarily agree for it to be used elsewhere)? I get too much spam on email (& don't want more) & I get very little spam on my cell (text or voice) & don't want to start. So I won't give out that info without some privacy protections.

My suggestion (not for this event but perhaps to help the Rochester merchants generally) is how feasible would it be for at least some of the businesses vending carts outside of downtown? As a resident of Rochester Hills, I would be totally supportive of RH sharing some of its unused space. The landlords of:
+ the ex-Whole Foods location on Walton, west of Livernois,
+ the ex-Borders & ex-World Import locations on Rochester, south of Avon, &
+ the ex-Bed, Bath, & Beyond location on Rochester (south of Hamlin)
would possibly benefit if, for a moderate rent, various merchants had samples of their wares in locations more accessible to shoppers. Is it too late to try this? Would the different cities put up too many licensing issues? Surely RH's interests are so enmeshed with those of Rochester that some sharing, some tolerance, & some help would be welcome to all residents.

Good question, Carol, about the potential for spam. We asked organizers about this; here is what they had to say: "The text message sign-in  is only for this "Rochester Cash Mob" event and will not be made available to any third parties for spam or other marketing purposes.  This is a one day and one time event.  If the cash mob shopping participants wish to participate in future events in our area, we would wish to encourage them to register again for another cash mob for that program again."

Cool. I was wondering when a Cash mob would hit Roch/RH.

It is not clear from the web that people who do not have "smart phones" will be able to participate with text only phones. For security reasons, I do not link my phone to email, and texting does not support scannable feeds.

McGregor Elementary just did a similar event called "McGregor Loves Main Street," in downtown Rochester the weekend of June 8-10. Parents and students were encouraged to shop and dine in downtown Rochester and received special incentives and discounts from select merchants for doing so. All together, McGregor families invested over $2,000 in the downtown in one weekend. The PTA sponsored an ice cream party for the classroom who turned in the most receipts from their weekend of shopping. The winning class, Mrs. Hutt's second grade, turned in a whopping 21 receipts and won the ice cream party. Rochester Mayor Stuart Bickson served the ice cream, too! The McGregor PTA is already planning another shopping weekend when school returns in the fall.

How long is the coupon good for once it reaches your phone? Thanks.

Mary Beth Johnson, that coupon is good for that Thursday, June 21st from 2 pm til 7:30 pm.