Old Navy and Video Games, Who Knew?

Our very own Joe Fourhman was kind enough to tell all of us here at Aeropause about the great deal that Old Navy was going to have the day after Thanksgiving.  For those that were brave enough (or stupid depending on how you look at it) to show up for a 3AM opening at Old Navy, you had a chance to get a free copy of Lego Rock Band with a $20 purchase.  So who would be crazy enough to make that bet?  Your very own Joe Haygood, that’s who.

My trek was originally planned out to have me at Old Navy around midnight, but a cursory drive by the store at 10PM let me realize that my plans would be thrown out the window.  Three people were already in line.  I had to park the car and make my way into the line early to make sure that I would be guaranteed a copy for the Xbox 360.

(From Left to Right) Kelly, Valicima and Roderick

After getting situated as the fourth person in the line, I struck up a conversation with the people that were in front of me.  I was curious what would drive a person out at 10:30 PM to wait in a line four and a half hours to get a free video game.  It was interesting what I found out.

First in line was Kelly, a mom who was out in line to score a copy of the game for her son.  She was not a fan of video games in general, but she knew Lego Rock Band was at the top of her son’s Christmas list this year, so she decided to come early.  When asked if she felt crazy waiting in line for a video game, she said yes, stating that it was something her parents would have never done for her.  Kelly also told me that she had never done anything like this before on a Black Friday, but said it was actually kind of fun, albeit cold at times.  After she got her copy of the game, she had planned to head home, but she decided in line that she might head over to Walmart to get a special edition of Rock Band 2, so she would have instruments to play Lego Rock Band.

Second in line was Valicima.  She was getting the game for her boyfriend, and said that he saw the deal and wanted the game.  She proclaimed that she was an old school gamer, who only plays the classics on her Super Nintendo.  She had come to Old Navy primarily for the game, but admitted that she didn’t mind getting the clothes as well.  She had arrived at Old Navy at 8 PM, but she did not decide to get in line until she saw Kelly sit down at the door.  I had to laugh when she said she had not eaten much since earlier in the day, but she was regretting that Super Big Gulp that she drank before getting in line.    Her evening was spent communicating with other family members that were at other stores.  Apparently, it was a family event, as she had people dispatched at Walmart, Toys R Us and other places.  If she got a call from someone that was not a family member, it went to voice mail, as she did not want the battery to go dead.  She also stated that she regularly went to these kinds of events, including midnight movie launches. 

The only other guy there in the morning besides me was Roderick.  Roderick was a big time gamer, looking to score Lego Rock Band to go along side his growing collection of games.  He was actually playing some Final Fantasy 358/2 while we were talking over these questions.  While he was not old enough to get the game himself, he was waiting in line so his parents would not have to stay up all night.  He was having fun, calling the whole event a campout.  He felt he was earning his game, by staying in line.  He did regret that he had gone to this Old Navy, as the one in the Ontario Mills mall opened at 12 AM, three hours earlier than the one we were in line at.  He did regret bringing a metal folding chair as it was getting rather uncomfortable after the first hour of waiting in line. 

It was funny talking to all three of these people, as all of their backgrounds were totally different, and their gaming levels were totally different, and yet we were all there for the same thing – a free game.  And yes, even Kelly admitted that she would probably end up at least trying Lego Rock Band after waiting in line for it.  It was the least she could do.

Starting to Fade Near the End

As the time passed away, we continued to chat, and we even got a few offers to let people cut in front of us. One of those people stated that they had a sick daughter that had been in the hospital for a week, and wanted this game for the PS3 so badly, and that he was not sure if he was going to get a copy of the game where he was at in line.  We looked at him with dagger like eyes, but he continued to persist with his story several times over.  Also, we had a few floaters hanging around the entrance hoping to jump the line, but some shouting and leering caused them to get back in line.  Well, it was either that or it was the Police vehicle that showed up right before Old Navy opened.

At 2:53 AM, Old Navy employees came out to tell us that they had 20 copies of the game for each platform, which ended up receiving cheers and jeers depending where you were at in the now 500-700 person strong line. As the doors opened, Kelly, Valicima and Roderick, along with me, went into the store, grabbing what we needed and exiting fast.  My total spent on clothing at Old Navy – $71.13.  Yes, I spend more than the game cost, but I did get some new jeans, shirts and a few pants for my son.  I also got a jacket for my son.

Victory is Mine!

Was it worth all the drama of getting no sleep and sitting in the cold for several hours?  At first, I would have said no, but the camaraderie that I found in line made the adventure so much fun.  I think I will start doing this every year, as I have never had this much fun on a Thanksgiving in quite some time.  As for Lego Rock Band, the game is surprisingly fun, and I cannot wait to play it at my game night this month.

Did anyone else have some great tales of Black Friday shopping?  Did anyone else hit up Old Navy?  I know Fourhman did, but what about you readers?  Maybe you just ended up doing the Amazon thing, like some of our writers.  Comment below.