What to do in long Black Friday lines

Stuck in a long line this Black Friday? Here are some things to do while you’re whiling away time waiting in line.

In one of the more modern holiday traditions, many people will be taking part in Black Friday by waiting in line. Whether they’re looking to get good deals on books, electronics, entertainment, or anything else under the sun, humans are willing to stand around for quite a while to get it.

Of course, many people will have the same idea this Black Friday. This means that lines of people are bound to form even before some stores open. If you’re brave enough to join the line, that means you could be facing hours of time simply standing there.

What’s a bored human to do, then? Of course, you could always stare into your phone’s screen and its myriad entertainments. However, maybe you’d like to try some other ways to distract yourself from the seemingly endless waiting.

Read on for some of the best ways to make the time pass while you’re stuck in a Black Friday line.

Read a book

Books are nearly magic. They require only some paper or a screen, a little space, and your more or less undivided attention. Not to get like your earnest elementary school librarian (though what’s wrong with that?), but you can easily escape your surroundings via reading.

Hopefully, you’re already signed up for your local library card. If so, that means you probably have access not only to physical books, but also a plethora of digital downloads. Finding a book could be as simple as loading an app and picking a title. Plus, it’s all gloriously free.

Play the alphabet game

If you’ve been on a long road trip, then you’re probably very familiar with this game. For the newbies, it goes like this: you look around for something that starts with the letter “A”. Once you find that, you cast about for a second thing, only its name has to start with “B”, then “C”, then “D”, and so on.

For some variation (or if your surroundings happen to be a boring retail parking lot), you can also play the alphabet game entirely in your head. Pick a category (like science fiction, movies, animals, etc.) and think of an example for each letter of the alphabet.

Practice meditation techniques

You’re about to enter into what will likely be a maelstrom of rampant consumption. Though the rabid Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping crowds are something of a myth, chances are you will still enter a pretty tense environment. Why not practice some meditation techniques to calm and center yourself before diving into shopping madness?

Check the news

Actually, don’t do that. We need you to retain your faith in humanity for the next few hours. Wait until you’re home and can make yourself a soothing cup of tea as quickly as possible.

Go down an existential rabbit hole

Are the toys in Toy Story alive? Are they functionally immortal, and what does that mean for Buzz Lightyear’s already fragile psyche? Could we living in a computer simulation, like inThe Matrix? Are we all just biological machines? How long was the runway in Fast and Furious 6, anyway?

Unlike a real existential crisis triggered by reading current news, pop culture existentialism can be kind of fun. If nothing else, these can be fun or deeply moving mental exercises to while away the time. Just be sure your own spirit isn’t going to break by pondering the identity issues of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock.

Clean the terrifying black hole that is your wallet and/or purse

Seriously, when is the last time you went through this thing? Is that a parking pass from 2012? How old is that gum, anyway? And just how many pens have you inadvertently stolen from local businesses?

If you would like to one day find things in your favorite bag or wallet, you might as well clean it out now. Yes, you will have to hold on to the detritus until your line winds near a trash can (don’t be an animal and throw the trash on the ground). Still, this is a worthy cause. Future-you will be grateful.

Talk to your fellow humans

If all else fails, you can turn to whoever is standing next to you and … make conversation.

Of course, if they are reading, checking their phone, or contemplating the meaning of life with a glazed-over expression, don’t bother them. There’s no need to be rude.

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Otherwise, this could be a good opportunity to gripe about the weather or commiserate on the endless line. Maybe you could politely ask them what they’re hoping to find in the store. Is there a movie or game that they might want to find?

Who knows — you might even make a living, breathing friend. What a time to be alive!