But as my friend had been seeking his own digital camera recommendations and had found a flyer for an awesome one-day-only deal, I had promised to keep my friend company at the popular electronics store sale—which started, ugh, at 6 a.m. that day. The sale featured this Canon for 200 bucks, normally priced 350.  The offer was for one per person, and since my friend wanted two, well, you get why I went along.  Such a good friend am I. 

The line to the store (which hadn’t yet opened, as it was 5:45 in the morning, still dark, for God’s sake) was around the store.  The others in line were fresh, alert, perky, and even friendly.  Some were discussing recommendations for TVs or refrigerators, others were probing strangers to find out what items were the most coveted, others were free with their offers of digital camera recommendations that pointed AWAY from the best deals.  It was false friendliness and cutthroat prep time.  It was already getting me hyperventilating.

Once the store clerks opened that door, the crowd in a reasonable line dispersed into aisles for the computer supplies and equipment, the DVD aisles, the big screen TV and huge appliance aisles.  So I thought we were safe.  We asked a courtesy clerk to direct us to the Canon on sale.  He pointed gave some labyrinthine instruction, we followed it, and we knew we had arrived in the right place because a SEA of customers were crushing and pressing against a tiny warehouse counter.  There up front, one clerk would hold up one camera box and all the hands would go up as if waiting for the bride to throw here bouquet or the all-star ball player to hit the ball in their direction.  There was no line, so sanity, no air.

Then the clerk gave a visible shrug and empty-handed gesture that made the crowds dissolve, leaving the polite ones without, of course, a camera.  But we were clever: we asked a floor-walker to check for the model my friend sought, by asking if we could have the floor sample, the last one on the shelf on display.  She went off to ask and in the meantime a bunch of greedy freaks began milling about our area, sniffing out the potential for pouncing.  The young woman returned, unlocked a lower cabinet drawer, and voila! There were about six more of this particular camera.  Immediately, of course, tens of hands and bodies were lunging.  I would have none of that, however, and hip-checked their asses away.  At the same time, this nice man who had been chatting us up while we waited was in the drawer, scooped out a camera box, shoved some brat to the side, and handed us the camera.  Now that was the moment my faith in the last of the well-mannered was replenished.

I still, though, make my own digital camera recommendations, now, for you to avoid the same nonsensical pain.  Go online to epinions.com, or to amazon.com; type in the camera make and model; and order it online.