Shoppers whip the crack of dawn

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT MESA -- More than 70 people stood outside Costa Mesa’s Kmart just

before 6 a.m. Friday, waiting in the dark. An hour later, at

Bloomingdale’s in Fashion Island, the doors opened, and a few bleary-eyed

shoppers huddled in out of the early-morning cold. And, at South Coast

Plaza’s Macy’s, as soon as the doors opened at 7 a.m., the store quickly

filled with fierce-looking shoppers darting after their prey.

The day after Thanksgiving is an annual ritual for serious shoppers. It’s

an opportunity for many to walk off some of those mashed-potato calories

while hunting for pre-Christmas bargains.

“Employees came in at 5 a.m.,” said a chirpy June Lemanski, who said that

if it weren’t for her job at Kmart, she’d be in bed. “But I get to get

off at 1:30 p.m.”

Taking the event one step further, Kmart opened Thanksgiving and offered

19-inch TV’s for less than $200. The day after, it had bargains such as

jewelry at 70% off and mountain bikes for $70.

Shopper Brittany Miller, padding around the store in her leopard-print

slippers and holding a cup of coffee, had to be dragged out of bed by her

mother. She and her family mistakenly thought everything was going to be

50% off. Still, she said they had found some Christmas presents and were

planning to hit Target next.

Fashion Island, which was suspiciously empty in the early hours, had a

more relaxed atmosphere, which shopper Lynda Vanvleek was counting on as

she bought Christmas china at Robinsons May.”That’s why we decided to

come,” Vanvleek said, adding that it was just as she suspected -- wealthy

Newport shoppers don’t get up early for bargains.

Although Fashion Island department stores opened at 7 a.m., tempting

customers with special sales, the smaller boutiques took a more relaxed

approach and opened a couple hours later. Still, salespeople said they

expected a flood of customers by mid-morning.

The lack of open stores didn’t seem to stall customers at South Coast

Plaza, which was packed an hour after Macy’s and other department stores

opened. Shoppers stood in long lines for a bit of caffeine and a sugary

roll to fuel up for their next retail conquest.

“We do this every year,” said Trabuco Canyon resident Jeannie Harvey as

she took a breather between stores.