Deal-hunters flock to Newport-Mesa malls

While most folks were sleeping off the effects of their Thanksgiving feasts, John and Judy Stih were headed for Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

They’ve been making the nearly 390-mile trip from their home in Mesa, Ariz., for five years.

“We come more for the atmosphere, with the tree and all the decorations,” Judy Stih said Friday as she and her husband recouped from shopping. “For the holiday atmosphere, this is the place to be.”

It was the 115-foot Christmas tree that sold them on Fashion Island. They were so impressed on their first trip, they decided they had to come back year after year.

South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island were teeming with customers on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Like the Stihs, many people from outside Newport-Mesa flocked to the shopping centers for their festive atmosphere and what they called quality shops, but it seemed some residents may be waiting till the day-after-Thanksgiving hoopla dies down.

One Costa Mesa resident who did fight the crowds was Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley and her mother-in-law. The pair were astute bargain hunters among shops that weren’t all offering great discounts.

“It’s an annual tradition,” Foley said. “I think we probably saved hundreds of dollars.”

Foley usually goes out to buy for her sons but found a great deal for herself at Saks Fifth Avenue’s 40%-off sale.

The Apple stores at South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island were offering sales on items they almost never discount. “It’s the first time ever we’ve had discounts on iPods,” Apple employee Zack Hill said as he greeted customers who walked into the South Coast Plaza store Friday. “It’s been this crazy all day.”

In the sea of full-priced items, some stores were offering sales the whole weekend. Bernini Platinum at South Coast Plaza offers 50% off everything in the store the day after Thanksgiving.

But whether sale prices brought people in, they were there in force.

“This is my 20th year working at the store, and when I got here this morning, I think it looked busier than it’s ever been,” South Coast Plaza Bvlgari store manager Susan Franklin said.

South Coast Plaza spokeswoman Debra Gunn Downing said this year’s crowd seemed a bit larger than last year’s.

“Many of the luxury stores I’ve talked to were ahead of last year’s sales in the first two hours of being open,” Gunn Downing said.

Fashion Island Bloomingdale’s spokeswoman Erin Bianchi said the crowds at the Newport Beach store seemed on a par with last year.

“It’s about the same, maybe a bit busier, but we’re expecting a good year like last year,” Bianchi said.

The appearance of slightly heavier customer traffic jibes with economists’ predictions of an increase in sales for the holiday season. Esmael Adibi, an economics expert at Chapman University, predicted a 5.5% increase from last year, which is less than retailers are accustomed to.

Although busy, the emphasis on customer service over bargains at the two Newport-Mesa centers seemed to make them a more attractive shopping spot Friday than other Orange County malls.

“I don’t think we bought anything on sale,” said Los Alamitos resident Michele Dumalski, who was there with family in town from Arizona. “But the no lines is the key — it makes paying full price worth it.”

And it all circles back to tradition.

Raelyn Nicholson of Fullerton and her aunt Carmen Nicholson of the Anaheim Hills area stuffed a trunk full of shopping bags into the car Friday morning as they headed back to meet other family who were standing in line to eat. Every year, the women go to South Coast Plaza to spend time with each other and go shopping. But their motivation goes beyond tradition. They like to make sure they’re not scrambling for holiday gifts come Dec. 24.

“We jump-start our gift shopping every year the day after Thanksgiving,” Raelyn Nicholson said. “We like to get out and get the selection first.”

The busiest days for both shopping centers lie ahead. As the Christmas countdown continues, shoppers will continue to flock to the stores to shell out the dough. The day after Christmas, shoppers return to trade in gifts and take advantage of after-Christmas sales.