Member-only story
I Waited in Line for 10 Hours on Black Friday to Get a Computer
I showed my friend the page I had ripped out of a Black Friday ad from Best Buy. The paper was wrinkled and faded from being tossed in my purse all week, but you could still see the bulky desktop computer pictured.
“I’m getting this computer!” I yelled excitedly.
I didn’t own a computer. My grandpa surprised me with one as a child, but when I moved out at 16, my parents refused to let me take it. My mother also kept the promise ring from my high school boyfriend and wore it herself, which I found bizarre. I wasn’t mad about that anymore, though. I had a new boyfriend and a baby on the way.
In fact, I was 8 months pregnant as I planned my Black Friday shopping. Pregnancy had disrupted my normal sleep schedule, so I was working nights at McDonald’s instead of my usual opening shifts. That meant I was free to shop on Black Friday as long as I could wake up on time.
I decided not to sleep. There was no way I could afford a computer if I missed this deal.
Back then, computers weren’t a household staple, and smartphones didn’t exist. Most of my friends didn’t even have regular cell phones. We were pager-sporting Millenials with a few older Gen X friends who refused to carry…
