What in the world would possess *anyone*, much less *thousands* to stand in line in the middle of the night to rush into a store with the other thousands of frenzied shoppers at one in the morning?! Long lines around stores at 3:00 a.m.?? If any subscribers of this list are one of the crazed, er, I mean, ambitious and eager shoppers who did such a thing this morning, I would love to gain an understanding of why.... -------------------------------------- (a) For fun. Some people seem to get a real adrenaline rush from being among the first through the doors. Getting one of those $10 digital cameras by being among 'the first hundred customers' is like winning any other silly prize. (b) From need. If you're barely making it, buying your kids' shoes and Christmas presents at 65% off even at the cost of getting up early is rational behaviour. (c) To display toughness; stamina; fortitude; endurance: all the great American virtues, here enfolded in the over-arching virtue of winner-take-all competition, are on view. (d) To confirm the sometimes-forgotten truth that Americans could, if they wanted to, play rugby, but that they just don't want to. Robert Paul Freud School of Motivational Analysis Mutton College ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html