There’s nothing more heartening than seeing people come together with a great idea to solve huge problems with effective, creative, simple solutions in a positive way.

If you replace the first two letters of “flash mobs” with a “C” for “cash mobs,” you have the makings of strangers helping strangers by way of social media, big hearts, and the desire to accomplish what elected officials can’t: Inject quick cash into local economies.

Small biz, meet Awesome.

The L.A. Times:

[T]he purpose is serious: to support locally owned businesses with a quick injection of cash.

The trend is part of a larger “buy local” movement that has emerged in response to the rise of big-box national chains that are putting the squeeze on mom and pop stores.

Los Angeles activists, for example, are mobilizing to challenge building permits issued to Wal-Mart. The world’s largest retailer is planning to construct a 33,000-square-foot grocery store in Chinatown that critics worry will hurt small, local merchants.

The way it works is, participants meet up on a specified day, at a specified time, at a specified intersection with at least twenty dollars to spend at local businesses. Nobody knows the name of the business until just prior to the event “to add a sense of adventure to the outing.”

Another added benefit is that the “mobsters” find one-of-a-kind items that they’d never be able to find at big chains or box stores.

Then, after the shopping spree is over, everyone goes to a local bar to hang out, make new friends, socialize, and celebrate. Another major plus is that it’s a twofer, because…

The business owner (and the bar) get a windfall. [...]

[T]he outings also create a sense of community.

What’s not to love?