Stay, Stay Stay in line: Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans fill a Lincoln Financial Field parking lot in hopes of securing Eras Tour merch

If you’re in line to buy the viral blue crewneck from Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, stay in line.

Hundreds of Swifties snaked around Lincoln Financial Field’s Lot K on Thursday afternoon — one day before Swift begins her three-night mini-residency there — waiting for up to four hours for a shot at coveted pieces of concert merchandise (most of which can be found online).

On their wish lists? A $75 minimalist hoodie with tour stops listed on the back, T-shirts patterned with references to each of Swift’s albums, and a tapestry that’s over three feet long.

The wait is part of the fun-yet-Sisyphean experience of being a Swiftie during a tour marked by sky-high ticket prices, rain delays, and a surprise album announcement: In order to remind Swift of how much they love her, Swifties have turned the preparation into the main event.

» READ MORE: Here’s how to do Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour like a pro, according to Philly Swifties

In cities ranging from Tampa to Atlanta, diehard fans started showing up as early as 3 a.m. the day before each cities’ respective concerts. They camped for spots at the front of merchandise lines, driven by a panic that memorabilia would sell out well before Swift even took the stage.

The scene wasn’t so desperate when fans began filling up a Linc parking lot on Thursday: Sales opened at 10 a.m. and ran through 7 p.m., with some Swifties lining up at 6 a.m. to get first picks.

But when an Inquirer reporter arrived just after 1 p.m. to scope out if she, too, had a shot at a pullover printed with dozens of teeny Swifts, the Swifties who had lined up at 9 a.m. were still waiting, empty-handed. Some had laptops perched on the barricades in an awkward work-from-anywhere situation. Others were sitting in camping chairs as though they were tailgating.

“I need to get a beer and some tacos,” said Elizabeth Estrada, a 32-year-old from Point Breeze who described herself as “Taylor’s contemporary.”

Estrada showed up at 9:15 that morning with two granola bars, a bottle of water, and a dream: To buy a Phoebe Bridgers shirt for her husband, a crewneck to resell online, and enough apparel to fill a year-round capsule wardrobe.

She succeeded, leaving with eight pieces of merch and a small sunburn around 1:30 p.m., grateful to spend the morning away from a bigger project — sewing an exact replica of an outfit Swift performed in on Good Morning America just in time to wear at Saturday’s show.

» READ MORE: Are you ready for it? Everything you need to know about Taylor Swift at the Linc.

On the other hand, Tori Harrison, 12, of Drexel Hill, looked to be in for hours of waiting when she and her mom, Heather, took a spot at the back of the line at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Tori was off from school, but claimed her mom would’ve let her skip class to stand in line anyway.

Tori still had plenty to be excited about: Sunday’s show will be her first concert, her mom was going to let play hooky on Monday to recover, and she had carte blanche for a shopping spree.

“I told her to grab everything she can today,” Heather said, shaking her head.

For Estrada, the Harrisons, and the other Swifties wrapping around Lot K, the point wasn’t the merch itself, which gets flack for its shoddy quality and tacky designs. Buying the merchandise represents an ironclad commitment to Swift, measured in both time and money.

» READ MORE: ‘It’s been insane:’ Swift’s Philly tour stops are giving local Etsy sellers a sales boost

“We’re here because it’s Taylor. We love her, we’ve grown up with her,” said Maggie Winter, 27, of Point Breeze. She left with around $200 in concert merch, including several coveted blue crewnecks she secured by asking a stranger to buy in an attempt to get around per-person purchasing quotas.

Yuwen Chen, an 18-year-old sophomore at University of Pittsburgh in town for the Sunday show, was that stranger. She showed up at 9:30 a.m. “vastly unprepared” with a sorely depleted phone battery.

“I didn’t want to wait for merch on the day of the concert because I knew it would be chaotic,” Chen said. “I couldn’t imagine missing a part of the show just to stand in line.”

Estrada agreed: “I wanted to spend the weekend waiting for Taylor, not waiting for merch.”