While standing in line outside of Toys R Us Thanksgiving night, and trying to stay warm, one of my fellow shoppers received a call from one of her friends already in the store.  It turns out that the netbook that was on special was already sold out.  Another woman in line said, “Well, I’m leaving. That’s what I came here for so I might as well head home.”  We all wondered if the items we had shown up for were still available which led one woman to bring up this brilliant idea: “Why don’t the stores put an electronic billboard or sign of some sort outside listing what they’ve sold out of so we don’t waste our time standing in line only to get inside and find out it’s already gone.”  Great idea, I must admit, especially considering that we were standing outside at 10:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving in 17 degree weather.  Better yet, what if you got an update via social media as to the availability of that item? While pondering this further, I figured that retailers probably wouldn’t like this idea as it might dissuade people from coming to the store.  But wouldn’t you rather have shoppers who realize it’s better to cut their losses and head home BEFORE getting into the store, only to realize the same thing?  Yes, while they’re inside they might purchase something else instead.  But consider the opposite:  once inside the store, it was so crowded that NO ONE was moving anywhere (that’s another post for another day) so one guy next to me put his stuff down and decided to leave.  Perhaps signs indicating how long the wait will be would be a good idea.  Or free snacks and beverages for those of us who stood in line for 2+ hours to check out.  But now I’m getting off topic. Much like you can pull up an item online and find out which stores have it in stock, it would be great to determine while you’re standing in line, if the item has sold out.  Now that would make for a better shopping experience.