How Foursquare Saved Thanksgiving

It’s 2:45pm on Thanksgiving Day. The aroma emitting from the kitchen fills the house as we anticipate our soon-to-be feast. Everyone plays their usual holiday role – my brother and his wife finalize the side dishes, my sister uncovers her “made from scratch” desserts, my aunt and grandmother arrive on time with hugs and kisses for all, and my mom …as always …is frantically making sure that everything – and I mean everything – is perfect, from the ironed table cloth to the appropriate and non-tarnished serving spoon.

Just as we come together in the living room to munch on some of the finest cheese and crackers (mmm …white truffle cheese) before we dive into our first dinner course, I hear it …a gasp from the kitchen. My stomach sinks, my hand lets go of the cheese knife, I place my full glass of Cline (my favorite red) on the coffee table next to me. I’m bracing myself for impact. As I begin to rise from the cozy couch I hear my mother frantically and dramatically exclaim, “Dinner’s ruined! We forgot the rolls!”

It was like the world was ending. My mother was truly convinced that without the dinner rolls, dinner would be ruined. Now, let me just say that no one ever eats the rolls. Why would anyone want to fill up on rolls that you can eat year round when there’s turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and other delicious foods that are only cooked once a year? But, I know my mother. Dinner cannot, and will not, be a success unless the dinner rolls are on the table.

After a bunch of back-and-forth about how everything will be just fine and wonderful even without the rolls, I find myself with my coat on, my car keys in hand, and instructions from mom to go to Shoprite, the corner deli, and a few other places, and if they’re closed, to come home. I’ll assume her thinking was “at least we made the effort to make dinner perfect”. So I’m out the door, in the car, and on my way to my first stop - Shoprite.

OK, it’s 3pm on Thanksgiving Day. My mother lives in the NJ suburbs where the towns are small and the residents take holidays very seriously as time to spend with family and friends. Shops close early, the streets are bare. And there’s me, on the deserted road on my way to what I inevitably know will be a closed Shoprite.

As I sit alone at a red light, I glance at my iPhone and (out of sheer habit) begin to scroll and click on random apps. Because I’m addicted to it, Foursquare holds a coveted place on my iPhone’s home screen (screen reserved for my favorite and most used apps of course). I click to see if there’s anyone else out there (it feels like that movie from the 80’s …I think it’s called “Night of the Comet”). To my amazement, I see a Foursquare friend update. I can’t believe it! There’s actually someone else out there being forced away from the comforts of wine and cheese and out to the desolate streets. I glance to see where my friend could possibly be on a day when just about everything is closed for the holiday. I click and I can’t believe what I see …he’s at Wegman’s! Wegman’s is actualy open! And it’s just a few minutes away from Shoprite that (by this time) I know is closed. I can’t believe it! So, with a big grin, a sense of efficiency and accomplishment, I get my Wegman rolls and return home to the comforts of home as ”hero of the rolls, Thanksgiving 2009”.

So, thank you, Foursquare. You helped to make what could have been a long, annoying, frustrating, and unsuccessful journey successful and pleasant. Without my friend’s update, I would have tried other stores before attempting Wegman’s and by the time I got there, they may have been closed. You had an avid fan before, now you have an eager evangelist.