How the cold affects people - Part 2

Well, as promised, here is my sordid tale of facing long lines, angry people, and elemental forces for a second time (see last year's post)....on BLACK FRIDAY.

Why do they call it Black Friday? Is it a racial term? Does it refer to some horribly macabre event that took place many years ago? Is it named after Jack Black? Ok, now I'm just being ridiculous.

No, in fact, the term Black Friday isn't that interesting at all. It refers to the day in which businesses move from being in the Red (losing money) to being in the black (breaking even or earning money). Exciting stuff, huh?

Alright let's get down to business. Shopping on Black Friday. This is my absolute favorite day of the year. When those doors open at 5AM, it's like Charlie being led into the Chocolate Factory. There are pallets with wonderful electronics for insanely cheap prices! Computers for $150! Software and Blank Media that is free after rebates!

...and all you have to do is suffer for 5+ hours out in sub-freezing temperatures. Easy, right?
Well this year we came prepared. My sister, her dumb friend, and I brought chairs (so that we're not in direct contact with cold concrete) and sleeping bags (hold in warmth and block out the wind). We arrived at a Best Buy in Wilmington, DE around Midnight. The doors wouldn't open for 5 hours. Now, go ahead and take a wild guess at how many people were ahead of us in line. 1? 5? 10? Try 30 to 40 people! The guy in the very front of the line said that he arrived at 7:00 PM.

So we get in line, cocoon ourselves in the sleeping bags, and begin the long wait. It's 24 degrees, but with the wind chill, it feels like 16. After an hour, everyone gets quiet and settles in for the long haul. By 2:30, the wind had begun to cut through the sleeping bag and I'd listened to enough Dane Cook for one night. We bought coffee. That helped. At 3:30, the line began to stir. Everyone began putting blankets back in their cars as Best Buy employees walked around with advertisements and credit card applications. Each year, a huge concern is all the people who show up 10 minutes before the doors open and try to sneak inside during the initial rush. However, 5 employees stood outside the doors to make sure no one cut in line...that was really nice of them.

So anyway, long story short (too late!), here's a Mastercard ending:

Total time spent in lines: 9 hours

Total Money spent before rebates and family reimbursement: almost as much as I paid for my motorcycle

Total sleep: 0 Hours

Being able to watch Smallville in High Definition on a 42-inch widescreen plasma TV and 5.1 surround sound? PRICELESS