Of all the lines I stood in during my 14 hours (yes, 14 hours) of shopping on Black Friday, Old Navy was the longest. (I didn't do any of the 5 a.m. stuff -- that's my running time!).

It was also the most fun.

A bunch of the other women I was shopping with that day were buying stuff there, so I was stuck waiting with them. I had one $10 shirt in my hand & seriously considered dumping it and telling the gang I'd meet them at Borders next door, but then, the Old Navy elves came out and actually made standing in line fun.

These high energy girls in Santa hats starting playing checkout line games and rewarding players with Old Navy coupons. My sister in law had a lip gloss in her purse and was one of the first three to come up with it (that girl knows where every item is in her purse) and she got a $3 coupon.

Next item, a watch on your right hand, Mom started yelling and got a coupon, too.

All of a sudden, the women standing in line(it was 96 percent women) were yelling, cheering and laughing.

Smart. Very, very smart.

Someone at corporate Old Navy said..."OK, we know we're going to have lines on Black Friday, how can we keep them happy?"

Fun, games & coupons. On what is typically one of the most miserable shopping days of the year.

Smart. Very, very smart.