Behind the Headlines

A short amount of time later:

At Staples, three young men decided they would set up hobo shop, pitching a makeshift tent and waiting things out in the comfort of their space heated room on air matresses. They said they were in line since about 4 p.m. yesterday. Laptops were the hot thing.

The people gathered there, though most were not together, seemed to have a certain camaraderie about them. It seemed like a kinder, gentler shopping experience.

Shawna reported, that even though she and her sister were some of the first shoppers at Old Navy, there was no MP3 player to be had. They grabbed their stuff and got in line, but were told that only the first 39 people who got wristbands when they came in the doors were eligible for the free gift. She definitely felt shafted, she said.

Bath and Body Works and other mall stores, though, Shawna reported were moving along swimmingly.