Store chaos happens a few times a year. People getting mad queuing up outside stores, big glass doors getting shoved hastily, alarm bells ringing, store staff getting a good pushing and screaming, and people fighting over goods are the common scene on big sale events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Boxing Day and even iPhone launches. These events happen only once a year, so people literally lose their wits when the even day comes.
I mean, how can you not go crazy for it when you can amass goods you’ve been planning to buy for so long at a tremendous discount? I’m naturally a cheapskate, and for me, sale events mean A LOT OF HOARDING AND SAVINGS. The only thing you need to do is wait, wait, wait.
Waiting on long queue lines can be likened to waiting your days for days on end in camping, especially if you have to hike for days just to reach the peak. The process is long and tiring, but when you finally reach the peak, it’s very rewarding.
Just like waiting for long queues (even for days) outside of the store which is very tiring and monotonous but you’ll be rewarded when you finally get the things you want to buy at a low cost.
In this article, I’ll be sharing with you some tips to avoid queuing up, setting up camp outside the store, and things you can do to have a productive time waiting.
But before anything else, the first thing you’ve got to do is to mark your calendar for the events you want to go to. It’s best to do this at the start of the year so you can see if one event coincides with the other and to save up months prior to the event day.
Things You Can Do To Avoid Queuing Up In The First Place
1. Check if the store offers online reservations/online queues
Some stores offer online reservations so you can just breeze in the line on the actual day. Some tech stores even offer mini robots carrying mobile phones that you can control via Facetime to wait in line for you. What a good marketing strategy!
2. Find out if you can buy a certain product you want online.
If you can purchase it at a sale price via online stores or on Amazon, it’s better to do it there than spend the day waiting in line.
Also, you should check if the product you plan to buy is really a good deal. Most retailers put up sale items on their store even before sale season. If you can buy it before the big sale, snatch the opportunity to avoid queuing up! The prices of their sale items are also listed online so it’d be wiser to just ship the item.
3. Opt for a less popular store location
Popular stores have branches all over the US. Do your research and drive to a store branch which you think isn’t that frequently visited by people. You can have a higher chance of purchasing the goods you want as well as save time from waiting in long queues.
If you’re in the UK, I suggest you do your shopping at Cardiff. It’s a popular store but I heard that Englishmen there are more behaved and well-mannered. They don’t shove each other in queues and they don’t keep pleading salesmen to give more discounts.
4. Ask a friend who’s also in the queue to buy for you
Ask your friend for a favor of buying in your stead. If your friend says it’s ok, then just ask him/her a favor. If he/she says it’s not ok, then he/she’s not a real friend. Kidding!
If you’re a hardcore shopper, then you’re determined to be the first in line by waiting outside the store days before. Of course, you’re not the only hardcore shopper in town. I’m sure someone else thinks the same too. You don’t want just to wait and sleep on the pavement right? What you need to bring is a set of camping gears.
How To Set Up Camp Days Before The Event
Here’s a checklist of the things you need to bring based on a camper’s experience.
Camping gear
- tent (just a single or 2-person tent will do)
- tent tarp
- sleeping bag
- pillows
- battery-operated flashlight/lantern
Essential personal items
- Toiletries
- first aid kit
- daytime clothes
- towel
- jacket/ sweater
- hat
- Socks
- Phone
- Charger/extra batteries
Kitchen
- Food (loaf of bread, biscuits, coffee)
- Thermos with hot water
- Knife (just a swiss knife will do)
- Trash bag
- Cup/glass
- Paper towels
What You Can Do For Days Queuing Up Outside The Store
Merely sitting and waiting for 48 hours is counter-productive and extremely boring. Every minute is precious, dear reader, so it’s best to do productive things!
1. Allot a budget
You don’t want to be spending more than you have right? The most important thing you need to do to first before storming the store is to limit your spending by budgeting your money.
2. Catch up on some reading
Bring that book you’ve wanted to read for so long or have been halting to read. It’s a good way to kill time and also to learn new things
3. Reply to your emails and catch up on phone calls
Email is part an American’s daily routine. If you’ve been busy for the past couple of days, now is your time to catch up and reply to emails. Also, waiting in the queue will give to time for callbacks and for catching up with your parents and friends.
4. Chat with people
I so love doing this thing! If you have a penchant for knowing and learning from other people, then you can do this to have a productive time. Strike up a conversation with the individual next in line and talk about all things under the sun. It’s a fulfilling experience because you get to discover new people, learn things from them, and even make friends.
Most of the time, I feel grateful that I’ve waited in line because of the good things that I’ve tried and experience. It’s like meeting new campers that set up camp in the same spot as you and just chatting the night away with them. Absolutely no time wasted!
5. Work out!
Believe it or not, you can work out while waiting. Just dress in your gym clothes, ask the person at your back to look after your space, and distance yourself a few meters from the line and just stretch those muscles! You can do this every day while waiting.
Read More: The Ultimate Guide To Pitching Your Tent ( Because tent pitching isn’t easy)
Final Thought
Having shared with you some useful tips on avoiding queues, things to prepare for queuing days before the actual event, and productive activities to do while while waiting in queue, I hope you’ll now have a much easier and productive queueing session. And I also wish you get to purchase the products you want!
Happy queueing dear readers!
How about you? Do you have some tips on queuing up days before an event? Can you share it with us? Share your thoughts below! Don’t deny it. You’ve found this article very useful, isn’t it? Why don’t you share it to show some love?
I’m Cindy, a free-spirited outdoor enthusiast. Since childhood, Our family frequently goes on weekend camps and my father, who was a skilled hunter, used to teach my siblings and me valuable things about wildlife survival. I made this blog to share my knowledge, experiences, and tips.
