Justin Oliver of Metropolis, Ill., was typical of thousands of people across the country who waited in line, in parked cars or in the rain outside stores for the chance to purchase a PlayStation 3 gaming system.

He was very clear about his motivation.

"I'm totally in it for the money. We're all here for the money," the 17-year-old said Thursday outside Best Buy at Kentucky Oaks Mall. He and several others set up camp late Wednesday afternoon to be first in line when sales of PlayStation 3 started. They wanted to buy the $600 to $700 system and then put it up for bid on the Internet, hoping for a healthy profit. "It's just common sense," Oliver said. "Here, we're going to buy it for $636, plus tax, then put it on eBay. Some have been reselling for $2,000."

One PlayStation system reportedly sold for $8,000 (with games attached) on eBay.

Jonathan and Amy Osborne of Paducah said they were in the Best Buy line strictly with resale in mind, to pad their savings account and get money for better Christmas gifts for their twin daughters, Mariah and Paris.

"My kids deserve everything, so if freezing out here is what it takes, then that's much easier than other things I could do," said Amy Osborne, 20, hailing the support of childhood friend Stephanie Holder, 21, who took the duty of watching her children.

When the waiting line materialized Wednesday, its inhabitants were strangers. By Thursday, the idle time had produced new friendships. Osborne made friends with Angela Griffy, 24, of Murray. "We've even gotten each other's phone number," Osborne said. "We want to see how this turns out for us.

"But everybody has just been so nice to each other. When we need food, one of us goes and gets it, and we save that person's place for them. It's the same for when we need to go buy an extra blanket or socks. We've helped each other."

That group was prepared to endure another night in the cold since Best Buy doesn't open until 8 this morning. Because they are open 24 hours, area Wal-Mart Supercenters were ready to sell their PlayStation allotments at midnight, the hour specified for sales nationally.

Some businesses tried to help their PlayStation campers. At Paducah's Circuit City, a group of seven was allowed to stay inside the heated front entryway until closing at 9 p.m., giving them several hours of respite before facing the cold night ahead of today's 8 a.m. reopening.

"They're people we've dealt with before who are good customers, so, yes, we want them to be as comfortable as they can be," said manager Chancey Mooneyham, who even had a big-screen television and portable heater parked with the group. "It's bad customer service to not do that."

The Circuit City line had one of the seemingly few people wanting a PlayStation 3 for his own enjoyment. Fred Cross, 21 of Olmstead, Ill., described himself as a devoted player since the first PlayStation was released in 1995.

"It's just because of the games, the graphics and stuff," Cross said. "I just like them a lot."