So since I only have one Black Friday to work with, I had to tackle this as soon as I made the list.
Each Friday after Thanksgiving, people, for some deranged and masochistic reason, feel compelled to sit outside and wait for stores to open so they can go buy stuff at a discounted price. I don't like to shop. I'm a guy. Guys usually hate shopping unless they're buying some kind of gadget (I'm not a gadget man myself...I spend my free money on food because I'm always hungry). And I feel bad for any guy that has to accompany the better half while she goes shopping.
But this year, I decided that I really wanted to do something out of the ordinary. I wanted to witness the craziness, see the lines, feel how cold it was at 3am in late November...more than that, I wanted to check out how everyone was able to sit outside for such a long time, abandoning the comforts of home, just to have one more space ahead of the next person in line...so I chose to buy some of them coffee and Pop Tarts!
This was more spur of the moment, but I had a good time.
More than a few things to keep in mind...
1. I didn't interview anyone, or bring the camera out with me while I was distributing things. For one thing, I think people would've been very apprehensive toward a stranger with a camera. And secondly, while getting coffee, I heard that people were getting tackled (!!!) while arguing over certain items. So my fancy camera I kept in the car, away from the crazies.
2. The video is choppy because I didn't know how this thing made videos. So I cut a lot of stuff out (me not aiming the camera at my floor on accident, side comments not relevant to the activity, and etc.)and spliced things together...the flow doesn't flow much at all because of that.
3. I did not ever once look through the viewing screen on the camera, so I wouldn't get into an accident. I just held it up with a hand while I drove with the left, like I always do, hoping that it would film what I wanted. If I blew the shot, then it didn't make it onto the video. I'd much rather have my driving record clean than do something stupid and drive totally distracted.
4. You would be very surprised at how difficult it is to give away free stuff to complete strangers.
5. Reactions varied across the board:
-Some thought I spiked the coffee
-Some thought it wasn't coffee
-Some thought I spat in the coffee
-Some thought I was trying to sell them something (A soccer mom thought it was for some kind of time share)
-Some thought I was high
-Some thought I was drunk
-One lady (college aged) asked if I was an angel (I laughed at that one...wee bit over the top)
-Another offered me a beer
-Some gave me a fist bump (tall college kid offered a fist and said, "Knuckle duster, bro!")
-Others simply thanked me
-The college kids asked me if I wanted to go to a party after they were done (Me: "At 6am?" Kids: "Bro, fun never sleeps.")
6. I went to both Target and Best Buy (only Target on the video). Had to go from the back to the front of both lines just to get rid of the coffee. Didn't get rid of all of the Pop Tarts until today, when I saw a homeless guy with a sign asking for anything to help...so I gave him like 10 Pop Tarts.
7. Coffee: 99 cents at Speedway. Pop Tarts: 2 for a dollar. I spent a little under $22, which is actually a lot for me, but I cashed in spare change that I'd been collecting...so I didn't hurt my monthly budget much. And big props to the guy who works nights at that Speedway (if you want to know which one, let me know). He was swamped with midnight shoppers and teenagers coming in and out the entire night.
8. The people out there looked completely miserable. Some were in tents (they told me that they'd been there for a few days). Others hid under golf umbrellas. Some folks were smart and waited in their cars. I mean, these folks brought the misery upon themselves and all, but I still felt bad for them.
9. McDonald's was packed (ridiculously I might add....my initial plan was to buy cheap burgers and give them away)...but then the question becomes: Why would you eat that at 3am anyway?
All in all, this was a lot of fun! If I do this next year (probably will...with more planning anyway), I'll have to try and recruit others to make life a little easier while rolling around. If you ever feel compelled to do this, give it a shot!
(UPDATE: Can't get the video up...file's too big...so I'll work on it :) )
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