I was just going to post the same thing! My friends and I were 14. We stood in line at the Americana Theater in Austin to see the movie. I was a sci fi fan from an early age, so I was in heaven. I remember standing in line quite awhile. It was worth the wait.
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Absolutely nothing, not now or ever.
(Well, I was forced to wait in line for over 30 minutes with DH/DS/DIL at Buffalo Trace last week as a pack mule because it was a Blantonâs/Weller allocation day, one bottle per customer. If that doesnât say loveâŠ)
I remember waiting in long lines for movies in the 70s. Canât remember which ones specifically. It was a thing back then.
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Iâm assuming (but honestly donât have a distinct memory) of waiting in a long line to get tickets to see Elvis Presley in concert, twice (two different years). All that was required was standing in line and bringing a contribution to the food bank.
H & D stood in line for electronics store on Black Friday. The store even gave people in line slices of pumpkin pie.
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Yes, we had to wait in line to register our kids for the local public elementary school back in the day (there werenât enough spots and it was first come first served, I think I got there at 5am on the morning that registration started). Nowadays I guess a lottery is used instead if necessary.
The last time I stood in line was for a PS-5 for my kid a few years ago when he found out that the local games store was getting an allocation (it was a weekday and he was in high school, I had to wait about an hour). My kids have lined up in Times Square in recent months for that eveningâs discounted Broadway theater tickets.
I oddly have a fond memory of âcamping outâ overnight with my sons in front of a foot locker in advance of an 8am sneaker release. It was at a time when between their school, sports, and social lives and my hectic work schedule, the three of us rarely just got to talk about (subtle Seinfeld reference) nothing.
As soon as the doors opened we showed our wrist bands and quickly got on our way with the new sneakers but the sense of shared experience has persisted. We still talk about the characters (notably the guy with the pet lizard) who we shared that line with and how panic ensued when the rumor started that mall security had closed the toilets for the night.
At the time I was not happy at all when asked to do it but upon reflection often things that seemed like a burden as a parent turned out to have some of the biggest personal rewards.
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I also stood in a long line with my kids at a bookstore to get the latest âHarry Potterâ book. Thatâs a nice memory.
In general, I hate lines and research like crazy before trips to see how I can avoid them. No, you canât show up at Auschwitz without buying a ticket in advance and not stand in a VERY long line! It astounds me that people donât plan ahead.
When we went to Disney World years ago, we would get to parks right at opening and then send DS (the fast runner) to get Fast Passes at one attraction while we headed for another one. It worked pretty well. My kids were annoyed about getting up early until they saw the long lines later in the day.
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We did too. It was a midnight release at BAM and there were lots of freebies and kids all dressed up. Really fun.
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The last thing I can remember waiting in line for was my oldest HS graduation. I went early to get good seats.
My oldest while in HS waiting in line overnight at a new smoothie shop. The first 50 customers got a years worth of Smoothies. One a week. They got out there at about 2AM. When I woke up to go to work I brought them hot chocolate.
I am done with lines. We did a VIP day at Universal in 2019. I never want to wait in a line again. I got spoiled.
I remember students camping out for college basketball tickets, but I canât remember for sure if I camped out too or was just visiting a friend who camped out. I am generally a no lines person and will give up if thereâs a long line. Certainly never waited in line to buy a product. Possible I waited in line for concert tickets but I canât recall that either. I have been to a lot of concerts.
I forgot about college sports! We slept out overnight for hockey tickets
Adding another one. Though I try not to go early in the sale to have to do this, I have waited in line for estate sales.
When my kids were 8 and 10, we took our second trip to Disney. On the first visit they were 3 and 5 and avoid ing lines had been an imperative. One day on the second trip, we approached a ride with a 120 min listed wait time. Well obviously we werenât doing that, I said. Why not my girls wanted to know. They woukd happily wait. And during that wait, during which they wrote postcards, called my mom to say hi and happily chatted with us, I realized we had reached a big milestone. I still remember it as a great experience.
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