Black Friday's appeal

I admit it. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, I woke before sun-up, pulled on some sweatpants and sneakers and headed to the mall to find those hard-to-find bargains. On my list was Barbie's horse-drawn carriage for my niece.

I got to the mall around 7:00 a.m. - a little late, according to the true holiday shoppers. Tried a few shops, but no Barbie carriage. Luckily, Kay-B-Toys was replenishing its stock as I walked by. I strode in, grabbed the oversized pink box and headed to the register. To my dismay, the line for the register stretched around the store to the front door. Fathers, mothers and grandmothers who had left their children home to sleep were standing in a snaking line with bags and bags of toys. They were also snagging more toys as they plodded their way to the register. I couldn't believe how many possessed Harry Potter action figures, Xbox games, and the same Barbie carriage I held.

I felt insignificant carrying only one item when everyone in the line had at least a dozen toys bulging from their bags. As we passed through the aisles, I picked up several board games to make it seem worthwhile to stand in such a long line.

Boredom took hold within five minutes and I started tuning in to conversations around me. Some women were plotting their next move, as if they were on some incredible scavenger hunt. They had already been to Wal-Mart and were headed to Toys-R-Us. Another woman was yelling loudly into a walkie-talkie to her husband saying she had gotten the coveted toy they were searching for and he could come back from a store further down the mall. He arrived breathless a few minutes later, proud of his wife for finding Junior's special gift.

I struck up a conversation with a father in line behind me. He was holding two Rescue Heroes tightly. For his three-year-old, he said. His ex-wife had told him the kids only needed two more to complete their set. He felt compelled to live up to the challenge.

Several people tried to cut in line, but us old-timers who had been standing there for a while just scowled. Others wandered through to see what toys they had missed out on by being a few minutes too late.

As I hit the register, it dawned on me that Black Friday's days might be numbered, if e-commerce gains a steady foothold. After all, each of the items that these people had gotten up so early to chase down were easily available online through Amazon.com or eBay or any of the other retail and auction sites. The challenge of going to the mall before the rooster crows will seem insignificant in light of the fact that you could simply fire up your computer - in your pajamas - and buy whatever you want, saving hours of back strain from standing in line after line. No more walkie-talkies, no more feeling of failure for not getting that one magical toy the kid just has to have, and no more wasting money on impulse buys made out of boredom from standing in long lines.

What do you think? Will Black Friday be a thing of the past? Let me know at sgittlen@nww.com

Sandra Gittlen is events editor for Network World's Seminars and Events Group. Previously, she was managing editor of Network World Fusion and senior reporter covering Internet research and standards for Network World magazine. She can be reached at sgittlen@nww.com.

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