First come, first served generally means just
that. Make sure you're the first if at all humanely
possible and wait.
1.) If it's cold outside, bring headgear like a scarf. If you can't find one, take a heavy sweater and tie the arms under your neck...the rest of it will hang down the back of your neck, effectively blocking any wind chills.
2.) If it's cold outside, bring one more blanket than you think you'll need. Almost guaranteed, at least one person next to you will have forgotten to.
3.) DO NOT drink lots of coffee before standing online. You don't know if a bathroom facility will be readily available in the wee hours of the morning.
4.) If you're told the line opens at 10:30am, get there at 4am anyways. Things can change from the date of announcement to the date of distribution (my experience was the doors opened at 8:20am instead)
5.) If you bring a book and are lining up outside in the bitter cold, make certain your gloves still allow you to turn the pages.
6.) Bring a chair! If you cannot locate one, bring a thick book instead and sit on that - it will shield your rear from the concrete sidewalk you're waiting on.
7.) Memorize 3 jokes to fill in the time if boredom sets in. For example, the one about the impatient cow. Here's how it goes:
You say, Knock knock.
Wait for the person to say, who's there?
You respond, impatient cow.
When the person says, impatient....(and right before the person
says, "cow who?") you jump in and say "MOOO!". Get
it? An impatient cow? Let me tell you, after you've been freezing
for half an hour, people will find this joke incredibly funny. Really.
8.) If you're elderly, see if a young whipper-snapper can come with you to move quickly and save your space once the doors open.
9.) If you don't need a flu shot, see if anyone in your family does. Then get to the clinic at 4am to hold a space. It's only a few hours out of your life but might make the difference between life or death for your parents or relatives.
10.) If you're friends with a local business owner, suggest she or he offer to sponsor free hot beverages/snacks. The free publicity would be invaluable for the business, and the people standing on line would be grateful as well.
11.) Bring a portable CD player with your favorite de-stressing music. It can help take your mind off your freezing toes.
12.) Take a few minutes to research old places in your town - it makes for great reminiscing with the other standees and time just flies by. You can go to Google and search for "town history" (where you substitute 'town' with your town's name).
13.) Spray some of your favorite scent on a facial tissue to keep close to your nose. Soothing scents can help you maintain your calm - this site has some good suggestions.
14.) Speaking about stress, tuck a stress ball into your pocket. You can help keep the blood flowing in your hands/fingers by squeezing it during long waits.
15.) Earmuffs and scarves and hats! Always keep your head covered when standing in the cold.
16.) If at all possible, stand behind windbreaks (ie, tree trunks, bushes, other people, etc.). It should feel warmer.
