Buy Nothing Day

So I was planning on just getting up really early yesterday morning and trucking out to Target in search of a Wii. In fact, I'd even made a plan with Mr. Graham Lampa (who was planning on going to Best Buy early this morning anyways in search of more nerd supplies) to watch for Wiis over at Best Buy and contact me if one was available.

I got home from my cousins' house late last night and was just falling asleep when my phone started ringing. It was none other than Graham, calling to present me with his master plan: we would just stay up all night, first at Perkins for some bottomless coffee and milkshakes, then out in front of our respective stores. In my sleep-deprived state I was unable to resist his wheedling, so I was off to Perkins at one in the morning.

I drank about six cups of coffee with entirely too much Splenda, ate a plate of onion rings which burn my heart even now, and had a generally bleary-eyed good time until about 2:30. Graham had scoped out the siti ahead of time: Target was looking like I could afford to wait, but the line at Best Buy was rapidly circumnavigating the store. We decided we would keep each other company in the Best Buy line until I saw fit to drive over to Target and hop in that line for the home stretch.

Despite the belligerent drunk (and his store security escort) just ahead of us, the line proved to be an enjoyable experience. Graham had a microphone for his iPod, so we walked the line and asked people why they were there and what they wanted. A surprising number had no real plan or specific item they desired; they were just there because it was the place to be. We went up to the front of the line and interviewed those hardy souls (the very first had been there since 2 p.m.), then began a count of all the people in line. Number 15, an older, crustier gentleman in blaze orange, gave us his count of the first fifteen, which a number of people disagreed with (we got quite a bit of the argument on tape). The vast majority of the line, however, was good-natured and friendly. Only numbers 44 and 48 were also in controversey. When Graham and I reached our own spots in the line (Numbers 119 and 120), it suddenly, for no apparent reason, became time to stand up and form an actual line around the building, so we never got a proper count.

Word went round that Best Buy had no Wiis, so about 5 a.m. I headed over to Target to try my luck there. For whatever reason, the line there was much shorter. I was about 10th or so. We eventually got a crowd of maybe a couple hundred. When 6 rolled around, there was a rather jumbled rush to the door. I sped in, cut a hard left turn, and jogged down the aisle to electronics, where a balding man in a red polo informed me that Target had recieved no Wiis in that morning's shipment.

So in the end, despite my efforts to purchase somthing at the earliest possible hour, I made it through "Buy Nothing Day" unscathed, down to sneaking in to James Bond last night.

What a good hippie am I.