My husband accompanied my brother this morning to stand on line for a Nintendo Wii. They headed out at oh-dark-thirty this morning but were, sadly, thwarted. There were 30 people in line for 6 units. They are trying to be philosophical about it--"That's the most I was willing to do, so I'm OK with it... imagine the people who waited for hours!" my brother said.

So this is a "Black Friday" Five (aka Buy Nothing Day) in honor of the busiest shopping day of the year:

1. Would you ever/have you ever stood in line for something--tickets, good deals on electronics, Tickle Me Elmo?
I haven't stood in line for a thing, but I have for the occasional concert tickets (before ticketmaster on the internet).

2. Do you enjoy shopping as a recreational activity?
With the right friends, yes, especially my CGs.

Otherwise I am a buyer, not a shopper. My subscription to Amazon Prime has more than paid for itself.

3. Your favorite place to browse without necessarily buying anything.
Honestly? The drug store. That place has the most interesting mix of stuff--travel sized shampoo, holiday themed socks, fleet enemas.

Bookstore is a close second, although it also depresses me to think about all the good books out there I'll never have time to read.

4. Gift cards: handy gifts for the loved one who has everything, or cold impersonal symbol of all that is wrong in our culture?
I have given and received gift cards, but it's not my preference. My concern is that it can grow out of a view of gift giving as obligation. Rather than, "I saw this item and thought of you," it can imply "I'm required to give you something but I couldn't come up with anything, so here, go shopping, but only at the store of my choosing." Does a nice card/note and a batch of cookies, or a modest gift to a charity the person holds dear, communicate love and affection less than a gift card to the big box retailer?

5. Discuss the spiritual and theological issues inherent in people coming to blows over a Playstation 3.
Even though I came up with this question, I do think such incidents are rare and blown up by the press. And both the incidents themselves and the resulting press serve only to increase the buzz and the interest in the product itself, so it's hard not to see the whole thing as a great boon to the manufacturers.

Still, I do think there is an undercurrent of entitlement and of barely contained fury out there which seems indicative of a sickness in the culture at large.