Black Friday Five

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?

2. Do you enjoy shopping as a recreational activity?

3. Your favorite place to browse without necessarily buying anything.

4. Gift cards: handy gifts for the loved one who has everything, or cold impersonal symbol of all that is wrong in our culture?

5. Discuss the spiritual and theological issues inherent in people coming to blows over a Playstation 3.

1. I stood on line in 199? for tickets to "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace," but haven't repeated the experience since then to my knowledge, not even for any of the "Lord of the Rings" movies (circumstances prevented it all three times).
2. I enjoy shopping when:
a. I know I'm going to buy something,
b. I know I'm going to get it on sale, and
c. I know the item I'm buying is going to last for a long time.
Thus, I enjoy purchasing stuff like Dr. Marten's shoes or other 'quality' stuff that will be around for quite a while. I also enjoy clipping coupons and seeing how much I can save by using coupons for the stuff we regularly buy - my friend Mother Superior and I enjoy getting the 'coupon tithe!'
3. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Barnes & Noble/Borders/other bookstores for browsing. Give me a good cuppa joe and a thousand books and I could stay for weeks. I also enjoy browsing at REI, but I always walk out feeling a bit disappointed because I know it's going to be years before I can do the kind of trips that would justify the equipment they sell.
4. Gift cards are good if they're from a store where a loved one would enjoy shopping. Ergo, WalMart cards aren't a real thoughtful gift (does anyone "enjoy" shopping at WalMart?), but B&N cards could be (or Yankee Candle for Beloved, for instance.).
5. The spiritual and theological issues of coming to blows over a Playstation 3 can be summed up thusly: Some people are just nucking futs. (Kudos to LutheranChik for my new favorite phrase...)