ONE CRAZY NIGHT

This is going to sound really crazy, but we apparently are one of those people that stay up ALL NIGHT LONG at a store to get the really good deals for the day after Thanksgiving in 19 degree weather.

This year we got in line at 6:10 PM Thanksgiving night. Note that says PM and not AM. In line is Brian, our friend Jeremy, Bro-n-law Kevin, me, and my sister Sarah.

So why do we do it? It basically gives us a $700 dollar Christmas for free – or at least that was the sum total THIS year. Last year it only gave us a $200 dollar Christmas for free.

The key for us, is BEST BUY ANYDAY over Circuit City. But here is what we do - at #28 in line this year, #29, #30, #31 consecutively in line this year, we got the laptops that were going at ridiculously low prices and sell them on Ebay or Craigs List. This year personally I found out the hard way that Ebay really SUCKS when it comes to selling computers. The first 3 winners on the laptops we sold were all FRADULENT - they were people in Bosnia, UK, and GREECE that had taken over someone else’s account and bid it up and changed the address on the account. They would usually have specific instructions like “Please send TODAY.” Anyway, I got lucky that I wasn’t SUPER on the ball with mailing them out, because I got the alerts before even packaging them up.

So I have to say, Craigs List is definitely the way to go! Brian met a buyer at the United Center – and all went well. I still get nervous about that a little – meeting a stranger – but better in a well lit public place than at our house in my opinion.

SO, HERE IS THE CRAZY STORY:

We arrive at 6:10 PM. After a delicious meal (thanksgiving leftovers and hickory farms) on our utility table, 2 kerosene lanterns, 5 lawn chairs, several card games, a laptop, and 4 sleeping bags, we sat and talked for a good 7 + hours. At 1:30 AM while standing in line, a cop got out of the car and told us that if we had to leave the line to go to the bathroom, we had to ask him. Then he would time us for 15 minutes. If we took longer, then we were out of line.

Well, cute Brian just happened to be gone for a bathroom brake when the cop showed up. We told him we had someone who was in line and was at the bathroom. The cop said he would give him 15 minutes and then tough. So, since Brian had already been gone 30 minutes I was getting a little nervous, given his history of falling asleep in any circumstances. So my brother in law Kevin whispers quietly and urgently, “Call Him.” I knew for proximity’s sake he was either at my in laws house or our house.

So I called each place like 10 times – left 3 crazy messages on my in laws answering machine sounding something like this: “Brian, if you are asleep please wake up. The police are here and they say you need to be here right now. Brian are you there? I am going to keep saying your name in case you are asleep but hearing this message. Brian….Please wake up!!.” Yeah, my in laws just got back into town today from a 3 week vacation and they are REALLY going to wonder about those messages!?!

So, no luck. 25 minutes go by. The cop doesn’t notice…or at least he isn’t saying anything. Meanwhile, people are asking permission to use the bathroom reminiscent of the kindergarten days. I start panicking a little – what if he is asleep for the night and doesn’t wake up? That pretty much deteriorates significantly our plan. If he takes much longer, then our plan is nil! So as I have been doing the past 25 minutes, I call our house again.

“HEELLLLLOOO?” I hear the slow slurred answer. “Brian,” I whispered loudly “You need to get over here right away or you won’t have a place in line. The police are here monitoring who’s in line!” “Oh…..I keetaa summon thereta time.” “Brian, WAKE UP!” I whispered, “You need to come right now! Are you awake?” “Yeah…I’ll be there, “ He said thickly and slowly. I tried calling several times after he hung up just in case. I thought, “Well, he is either on his way, or he fell back into a deep sleep.”

Thank goodness we see him 12 minutes later, and the cop didn’t say anything. Brian says brightly, “Yeah, I thought I would just rest a minute on the couch after I went to the bathroom, and I guess I fell asleep.”

And let me tell you being 4 months pregnant at the time did not help any bladder situations – I had to literally go every hour almost. I just got annoyed with myself near the end and held it – I think the decision came fairly easily when after 3:00 am when they handed out the vouchers, they told us if anyone got out of line at this point – to the back. And, it was starting to get crazy. The policeman hid out in his car looking through the ad (Gee, thanks!) and people started putting away – in our case – our large card table, our banquet of food, our 5 lawn chairs, our 2 kerosene heaters, our 4 sleeping bags, and homework in Brian’s case. Then the line got very tight.

Well, after that long wait, we had another very long wait in the laptop line (we got 4 – 3 to sell, and one to keep) – and then we hit 2 more stores, kohls and target – all by 7:15 a.m. WE were DONE Christmas Shopping in one fell swoop. Then our drowsiness set in and we went home and crawled into bed for a full 2 hours and 45 minutes while my parents watched the kids.

Ahhh, there is nothing quite like black Friday!