Shoppers flock before sunrise

Holiday shopper Irene Fauese, of Santa Ana, began her day Friday at 5 a.m. at Wal-Mart and then headed over to South Coast Plaza, hunting for deals on Christmas presents for her five grandchildren.

She planned for Black Friday in advance, trawling the Internet for the best deals. Like many shoppers, Fauese is scaling back her Christmas this year — only the children in her family will get presents. The adults will make do without.

“The day after Thanksgiving is the best day to hit the sales,” Fauese said, resting her feet on a bench at South Coast Plaza after a day of shopping. “It’s worth doing if you find the sales; you can find bargains, but not if you just go crazy and shop.”

Shoppers from across Orange County and beyond still flocked to South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island on Friday to take advantage of after-Thanksgiving deals, despite a bleak national economic outlook, but sales appeared to be down slightly from years past. Many shoppers were out looking to save a couple of bucks.

Lake Elsinore resident Reggie Kramer hits the Black Friday sales every year at South Coast Plaza.

“It’s something that’s become an annual holiday tradition,” she said.

Kramer still braved the crowds this year, but she’s being a little more cautious with how much she spends on her four children and eight grandchildren this year. A recent retiree, Kramer is worried about the economy.

“I was just saying, it seems a little less crowded here this year,” Kramer said, taking a respite from the holiday shopping blitz Friday at a coffee bar at South Coast Plaza. “Usually it’s packed wall to wall with people.”

The National Retail Federation’s preliminary Black Friday survey released earlier this week estimated that up to 128 million people would shop this weekend, slightly down from the 135 million who said they would shop Thanksgiving weekend last year.

The retail trade association estimated holiday sales would rise to $470.4 billion this year, the slowest growth since 2002.

“It’s a chilly retail environment, but we’re cautiously optimistic it will be a strong holiday season,” said Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing for South Coast Plaza.

Many customers at South Coast Plaza’s high-end retailers were still spending, but looking for more practical items than in years past.

At La Perla, an upscale lingerie and fashion boutique at South Coast Plaza, women were shopping for versatile items that could be worn several times. Bustiers are a popular item this year, said La Perla employee Kathy Mohammad.

“You can wear it with jeans, or it can be dressier as well,” Mohammad said. “People are shopping. You can’t cancel Christmas — they’re still spending money, but they are looking for value and bargains.”

Shopper Izzy John, from England, who was out shopping Friday at Fashion Island, said she was cutting back on her purchases this year.

“I’ve decreased my buying this year because of the credit crunch,” John said.

Many shoppers Friday at Fashion Island carried only one or two shopping bags — if any.

Sales were down Friday from previous years at Garys, an upscale fashion boutique in Fashion Island, said John Braeger, vice president of the retailer.

“It’s not overly busy, but we’re doing some business,” Braeger said. “There’s definitely more markdowns than we typically do. Customers are definitely asking for more bargains.”

Garys has been coping with a sluggish retail environment this year by offering more promotions, like coupons to buy one item and get another at half price.

“We’re doing more of that at the moment,” Braeger said. “It’s the only way to be competitive.”

— Matt Brown contributed to this report.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com