UPDATE: Phew! I made it home, got back through the door and safe by 7:15.
So I got to Target at 5:45, thinking I was savy. Silly Laurence, you rookie! At this point the line stretched from the front door, to the corner of the building (and this was a Target Greatland, their big box version), wrapped around the corner, stretched all the way back and wrapped around that corner, and went half way around the back when I got in line. A hundred more people got in line behind me before the door opened. There was a little ugliness with line cutting, but mostly it felt like standing in line for a Star Wars movie on opening night. Quite festive! Once they let us in it was like the Visigoths sacking Rome. As we all raced to the electronics section carts got abandoned to try and enhance speed and mobility, making congestion much worse. It was like a sci-fi movie where all the cars are jammed up on the freeway with the asteroid plunging to earth in the distance. They had a second line to get into for electronics, and they carried a very limited amount of the door busters, so I knew I was hosed.
But then on an obscure end cap is one of the items I was looking for, the two headed car DVD player! They had about a hundred boxes initially, and there were still a couple dozen left. Snatching one, I quickly headed straight for the door before the checkout lines got stupid. Target did a nice job of queuing up traffic for that, at least.
Having gotten one out of four items, I was tempted to cut my losses. But some part of me said, "Did my forefathers fight and die for this country for me to only spend $90 on electronics and call it quits? NO!" So at the last minute I took the exit for the center with Best Buy, Staples, and GameStop.
First, Best Buy. A much better setup, and much less insane, although it could have been because I was now 30 minutes past opening. One of the things I wanted at Target was the Guitar Hero kit with guitar and game for around $60. Best Buy had a two guitar and game pack for $79, so I snatched it up (4th of last one on the pyramid). Extremely helpful staff that would let you know if you weren't holding the best deal in your hand and point you to the best stuff. Next was Staples, where they had the same 9.2 Mp auto stabilizing Kodak camera they sold out of at Target for the same price of $79. I had to deal with the guy trying to sell me an extended warranty - why would I buy half of the camera again at that price? In two years a better replacement will be cheaper. Last stop, GameStop, where they had the Wii Fit for sale. The pile was down to 5 or 6 when I got mine.
So I got out and got home without too much damage, without spending too much, and with my sanity. It really was a festive atmosphere with people chatting in line about the deals they got at other stores, admiring purchases, etc. I think the mid day black Friday stuff is much more obnoxious than the early riser door buster experience. Glad to be off the streets now.
