It started out ok, it really did.

[Bouncy Ball]

I went to the Harry Potter thing last night. I wasn't even buying a book (I was in no hurry), but I took a friend who has a broken arm and can't drive herself. Took my daughter, figured she'd have a good time.

At first, it WAS fun. There were a lot of people there, but it wasn't TOO bad. My daughter got her face painted, made a wand, became a devil worshipper (that's a little shout out to all the fundies reading, LOL), had her picture taken with a guy dressed up as HP (except, um, he was in his 30s and about 6'3") and a woman dressed up as Hagrid (who was about 5'2"). Sirius Black was there, too.

My friend got her wristband, so we went across the street to eat. Had a great time doing that. Came back, got an overpriced mocchachino thingie from Starbucks, continued to have fun just browsing books, talking, people-watching. Some really interesting looking people were streaming in. More teenagers than I would have thought. When it got more crowded, the teenagers took to yelling "MARCO!" "POLO!" That cracked me up. At FIRST.

But by 10 pm it was not so good anymore. One of the B&N employees near me was saying there were HUNDREDS of people in the store, and wondering out loud about fire code violations.

People brought lawn chairs. A little girl who looked to be about four was asleep on the floor, curled up in a ball in front of the computer reference books. People stepped over her. We took to sitting on stacks for a while, before that hurt our butts. By 11, there were so many people in there, you really couldn't move around much anymore, and a B&N employee at the front of the store kept yelling for people to move back into the store, don't block the entrance (and exit). I think they were getting worried about that. You couldn't even APPROACH the front of the store if you wanted to.

I noticed my daughter wasn't with us. She had been at my elbow and then gone. I made my way all around the store, looking, getting more panicky by the minute. I didn't care how I lookeda at that point, and started calling out her name. After searching everywhere (and the problem is, she's really short for her age, too), I got an employee and asked if they could make an announcement. She took off without finding out my daughter's name. I couldn't call her back.

Ten minutes later, the woman reappeared, looked flustered, said "What is the child's name?"

Sigh. I told her, they finally made the announcement. Minutes went by and now I was really scared. Finally she showed up, big-eyed, saying she was standing, with a bunch of other kids, underneath a huge bag of balloons and glitter tied to the ceiling. I hadn't noticed it before. Now I knew where she was, so I said ok. It was very near me, anyway, and she promised to only be there.

That's when I was flattened. My back was against some stacks and a guy who looked to be about 300 pounds or more decided he needed to move past me. There was nowhere I could go. At the last second, I wanted to turn around, so at least my back would be to him and we wouldn't be rubbing front to front, but it was too late. He was going for it. It was impossible, there simply wasn't enough space and with people all around me, I couldn't move anywhere. We didn't make eye contact, except for one second when he whispered "sorry." I couldn't say anything, I was trying to make myself as small as possible, but you know you can't suck in Thelma and Louise. It was uncomfortable to say the least. He was stuck, nowhere to go, our fronts wedged against each other. Finally someone moved and he was able to push himself off of me. He muttered sorry again and I said "no problem."

Did I mention I'm claustrophobic?

Right before midnight, people started yelling a countdown, but I saw some employees frantically trying to get them to stop. It wasn't time! So a few seconds later, people started over shouting "TEN! NINE!" Chaos. B&N relented and the balloons were dropped. Teenagers went crazy. A boy behind me yelled "I'M JUST HERE FOR A KAMA SUTRA BOOK!" to the great delight of his friends.

My daughter made her way to me, covered in glitter and confetti and holding a ballooon. Totally thrilled. I found my friend and said "we're going to wait for you in the car, I have to get out of here!"

She understood and we escaped to fresh air. A woman had fallen outside, hurt herself, and EMTs were there. People were standing around smoking, watching the fallen woman.

Finally got to the car. Twenty minutes later, my friend emerged, victorious. I drove her home.

Whew. I think that's an experience I only need to have ONCE.

But this morning, in my dining room chair, a copy of the Harry Potter book! My husband said he went out early this morning and bought it, he felt sorry for us waiting all that time and not getting the book.

I'm on Chapter 3. ;-)

Anyone else go to...the zoo last night?

Edit, I forgot to mention--the wristbands were numbered, and they had given out over 700 of them.

[Not_Giving_Up]

1. My MIL bought it today for my son

I love this: "you know you can't suck in Thelma and Louise". Priceless!

[Bouncy Ball]

4. I tried, but those bad girls just are what they are.

I even tried sort of slumping my shoulders to "suck them in" in the hopes that would unwedge us, but no such luck.

[Not_Giving_Up]

5. LOL

I don't have much to suck in, but the terminology cracks me up!

[progmom]

2. Holy crap.

That sounds awful.

Reminds me of almost being (accidentally) strangled by a cop while waiting with a teeming mass of people to buy Duran Duran tickets when I was 15.

[Clintmax]

3. And all of that over a BOOK?

:eyes:

What a MESS! I'm glad I wasn't there.

[Bouncy Ball]

7. Don't get me wrong.

Literacy is my life. Especially young people literacy. So I LOVED seeing the incredible enthusiasm. And the adults? They cracked my shit up, they were drooling to get at that book! My friend told me as people got theirs and made their way out of the store, people still in line were reaching out yelling "let's see the front! Let's see it!"

My God, the cover has been on the internet for weeks now. But they were just crazy about it. And anything that gets kids reading, I say.

But being smushed like that, being afraid someone had taken off with my daughter, that part was NOT fun.

[Clintmax]

10. Oh, I totally agree about reading!

I'm VERY glad that kids love the books as much as they do! I'm just glad that I wasn't there and had to deal with all those folks!

[Bouncy Ball]

11. Oh yeah, LOL.

I'll never do that again. I am seriously claustrophobic, but just kept trying to breathe normally so as not to have a panic attack. Thus the going outside and waiting in the car at the end.

[hyphenate]

30. I tell you

the next major phenomenon will be out around Christmas (I believe) and it's one I cannot WAIT for!!! It's driving me batty already waiting. How many of us went batshit for C.S. Lewis's Narnia series? I absolutely LOVE Narnia and Aslan, and when I was a kid, C.S. Lewis's religious beliefs never tainted my enjoyment of the books.

From the previews, the movie will focus on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but it seems to have elements of the other books as well. I don't know if they're doing it as a series from the books, but it will, nevertheless, be as equal in some eyes (my own possibly included!) as LOTR. They were both major faves during those growing years, without any bias at all. Of course, LOTR is on a far more grandiose scale, but Narnia has components that LOTR doesn't have, and it focuses a lot more on the individual characters and makes allowances for the ages of the children in them. Some of the books, unfortunately, aren't as action packed (Voyage of the Dawn Treader comes to mind), but the stories are spread out over a significant period of "real time" which allows for differences in scenery, plot, situation and circumstance. Like I said, I can't wait. Although I wish they would start it off with what is chronologically the first book, even though it's later in the series--Magician's Nephew, because there have already been some worthy adaptations of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

[barb162]

6. No but I have watched coverage this morning

There was a store where there were over a thousand people in line around midnight. They let people in 50 at a time so there would not be overcrowding. People were given numbers outside the store and just waited calmly and were having a lot of fun. Your trip sounded gruesomely overcrowded.

[progmom]

8. i think that's how Borders organized it

[Bouncy Ball]

9. I have to say, I don't think this particular B&N did a very good job.

They just let EVERYONE in. Mass chaos, everywhere you looked. I saw ripped up magazines all over the floor in the magazine area.

Later on in the evening, I heard the wait for Starbucks was over an HOUR. People were sitting on the floor of the cafe.

[progmom]

13. that sounds awful. i'm shocked that they didn't have a better system

in place. it's not like this is the first Harry Potter book, you know? this kind of insane response should have been expected. and it was expected and planned for by many book stores. i wonder if B&N dropped the ball corporately, or if your store just didn't follow the corporate mandate. either way - your story took my breath away. between temporarily losing your daughter...and the huge guy squashing you. damn.

(but c'mon - if you want your story repeated over at the other site, you should have had the big guy wearing a "I love Bush" t-shirt. you're slipping, bouncy! :P )

[Bouncy Ball]

14. I don't care about any other site!

:D

And honestly I think a lot of people in that store were moderate or liberal. Just a guess. The whole reading thing, you know. And then there's the fact that fundies wouldn't come near HP.

I do enjoy people watching--the woman with the purple hair, the teenager with the homemade shirt that read "Daniel Radcliffe is my best friend" in French on it (????), the old guy dressed all in a white wizard costume with a stuffed lizard attached to his wizard hat. He kept going around telling everyone he was "Gandalf the White" until someone yelled "WRONG BOOK!" to much laughter and then suddenly he started saying he was Dumbledore. THAT was funny as hell.

[progmom]

15. ha ha ha ha ha

that's hilarious. and you know i was just kidding about the other site, yes?

[Bouncy Ball]

16. Oh yeah, totally!

:toast:

I have to go tell the husband about Gandalf/Dumbledore. That will crack him up.

"Oh, oh, oh yes I'm DUMBLEDORE! Ha ha ha, yes!" I think he was drunk, too.

[Debbi801]

20. This is exactly what it was like at my B&N...

There were over 400 people in the store at one point in time waiting with their yellow bracelets for their reserved copies of the book. Not to mention probably almost as many waiting to see if there were any non-reserved copies left.

I took my 12 & 10 yr olds. It was a complete zoo. We went to the last one (2 yrs ago) also. I felt it was handled much better last time. Sounds similar--face painting, wand making, polaroid pictures, etc. The number of people in costume, adults and kids, astounded me. I lost my 12 yr old more than once. Both kids had friends there, and i knew they were near by, so i didn't get too nervous.

I think i was in line at Starbucks for about 45 minutes, all for a cup of coffee. There were kids asleep under tables, parents there with kids crying in strollers. The started trying to get people to form a line about 11:30. The line snaked around through the entire store. Finally around 12:30, I was on my way home with the book and 2 sleepy kids. When i left, there was no end in sight for the line.

Sheer craziness.

[Bouncy Ball]

24. But we can say we survived

the Great Harry Potter Debacle/Crushing! We can tell our great-grandchildren!

:D

Sounds EXACTLY like my experience!

I bet Starbucks made a KILLING last night. Everyone in the store had one in their hand.

[fudge stripe cookays]

28. In other news, anyone heard from Richardo yet?

I know he had to work that nightmare last night, and I think he mentioned having to work again today.

Guess he won't be checking in til later? Poor lad.

Glad you made it out in one piece, Bouncy! I enjoy the books, but I absolutely will NOT fight crowds to be first at ANYTHING...books, movies, anything. That shit can wait.

Oi.
FSC

[MuseRider]

12. Thelma and Louise?

Bouncy, you have just saved a perfectly awful day for me. Thelma and Louise? LOL Bless your heart. I love it. Now I am smiling. :loveya:

Glad you made it out of there OK. What a circus. Funny, I read those books when I get around to them. They are fun but my 21 year old son who does not really enjoy reading is thrilled every time a new one appears. :shrug:

[Bouncy Ball]

21. Aw, glad to know that!

:toast:

My husband isn't really big on reading, but give him a book on CD and he'll listen to it all damn day. Which I say is great! He's currently listening to all the Jack London short stories on CD!

[Jara sang]

17. I hope those bad girls are alright.

[Bouncy Ball]

18. Oh yes, very well, thank you.

:rofl:

[Lars39]

23. Severely OT,

but I've never seen that photo before. VERY powerful.

[Bouncy Ball]

25. It is, isn't it?

I was noticing that, too. I think it's from last year?

[progmom]

26. it really got me, too, so i looked it up

here is the caption:

At Arlington Cemetery, Donna Gilmore is comforted by her son Gilbert Gilmore, Jr., at the funeral of her husband, a US military man, Sgt Major Gilbert Gilmore, who was killed when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in which he was riding was shot down near Tikrit, Iraq.


http://www.nppa.org/competitions/best_of_still_photojournalism/2004/winners/still/index.cfm?category=NPY&place=2nd&image=24

[hyphenate]

19. Our Waldenbooks wasn't that bad, thank goodness

There were about a 100 people or so in all. I got there about 11:20, and I was #32. They were handing us back our reserved "ticket" and then lining up to get our books. They actually had food! Subway sandwiches with condiments, potato chips, veggies and dip, cookies, and a few other things. Drinks were those really sweet koolaid type fruit drinks. I desperately wanted some water, but I didn't get any until after I got my book from a drink vending machine.

It worked out well for us. There weren't that many little kids--some teenagers, a few small kids with their parents, but a lot of adults like myself. They had coloring games, stickers, and a lot more stuff like that.

A friend who accompanied me was making condescending remarks about the people there, but I ignored him. I told him the people who were there were good people who actually still read. He seems to equate Potter "fandom" as another "get a life" type scenarios. After he spent at the very least 10 yrs in Star Trek fandom and another 10+ years in Mensa, I wonder really who it is who should be getting a life.

[Bouncy Ball]

22. Aw, boo on your friend.

They DO have a life! And I would never look down on people that hopped up on reading a 600 page book, you know?

Your Waldenbooks experience sounds WAY better than my B&N one.

[yellowdogintexas]

27. B&N over on So Hulen was OK, very busy, parking lot

full, but they had the activities spread all over the store. And they made the smart decision to have the books actually at the cashier's station, they called your number group and you got in line..however the PA wasn't up to the noise level in the room, so it got a bit confusing.

Then they broke it up where a large number group was called to the FRONT registers then a smaller group was called to the music/movie dept which hass its own registers. GREAT IDEA!!! I got lucky and was in one of the small groups sent back there. I went early and hung around book browsing and watched the show..costumes, etc. It was pretty neat all in all.

I really did it this way because I never had gone to a release night before. So now I can say I have done it...and how wonderful to see all those folks with their kids and grandkids to buy books!! And the parking lot at the Borders just a couple of blocks away was full too, and their lot is twice the size.

[sundog]

29. hahahaha

:rofl:

my first good laugh of the day

[Bunny]

31. Gosh, I wonder how Richardo made out.

He was working at B&N last night. :scared:

[politicat]

32. Our party was well organized and behaved.

But then again, Boulder Bookstore has been in its location for a long time, and has hosted 3 release parties for the HP books. Plus, it's on an open air mall so most of the activities went on outside in the court yard. The people who were jackasses were the drunk cube rats blowing off a week's steam coming out of the gin-joints up and down Pearl Street. The kids, parents, teens and adult HP lovers were beautifully behaved.

Boulder Bookstore had 3 separate lines set up and had sold early sales certificates for the last couple months - since I had certificate 702 and I bought my certificate 10 days ago, I would guess they sold at least 1000 copies last night.

I think what might have caused your bad experience might have been poor planning on the part of the BN store. A new store or a store that didn't have an OOP party would not have known what to expect.

I'm sorry it had to happen to you, and I'm really glad you got out okay. That would have made me nuts, too.

[derby378]

33. Ugh. Sorry it turned out like that.

Where were you? I was at the Borders on Lovers and Greenville.

Here's my experience:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=3659519&mesg_id=3659569

[LynneSin]

34. They did the same thing at our local B&N and I made the mistake

of stopping in to buy a bird book. The nature section was right next to where they were doing HP book readings - I had to leave it was so fricking annoying!

[lumberingbear]

35. Sorry your HP party turned out so bad.

I went this morning to the only place in Podunk,Indiana where you could get the HP book, Walmart (flamebait!). There was about 200 copies set up where you come into the store. I think I was the first to take a book. No kids around. I don't think there are many readers here. (Got the book for $15.87)