To those who still think social media is an exercise for those with more time than sense, consider this story from Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

A local resident named Jim Black looking to do something to support local business generally, and Chagrin Hardware specifically, wrote an email to about 40 friends. It read: “Let’s show our support for one of our local businesses. I challenge everyone to spend AT LEAST $20 at the hardware [store] on the 21st.”