COUNTYWIDE : Fun or Compulsion? Shopping Varies

Shopping could very well be the official sport of Orange County.

This, after all, is the land of grand malls such as South Coast Plaza--listed in some travel guides as one of the seven wonders of the Golden State.

From the discount stores of aging downtown areas to the hoity-toity shops at South Coast, the holiday season in Orange County’s shops and malls can prove to be a shopper’s dream. And Christmas can prove to be an even greater temptation than the ever-present temptation to shop till you drop.

To some, shopping is just another way to pass the time. For others, it’s an obsession. Christmas, psychologists and some avowed “shopaholics” said, can make that obsession overwhelming, especially in a shopper’s paradise like Orange County.

“In Orange County, there is the need to keep up with the Joneses--it’s very much a competitive breeding ground,” said Dr. Barbara T. Kreedman, a clinical psychologist in Tustin.

Kreedman said about 20% of her clients have used shopping as an escape for other problems, such as a lack of control over their lives.

“Recreational shopping is not in itself unhealthy,” she said. “It’s when the person can’t afford or can’t control the urge that it then becomes compulsive.”

Dr. Gene Clemmons, a therapist who also practices in Tustin, agreed. “You need to ask, ‘What’s the purpose behind the shopping?’ ” she said. “If self-esteem is tied into it, then it could become a compulsive need.”

People who like to shop, however, shouldn’t necessarily consider themselves automatic candidates for therapy. For many, shopping is nothing more than just another form of recreation, and most are well able to control their spending. In fact, controlling spending is in itself an obsession of some mall patrons.

“Clearance events are like a hunt,” explained Fountain Valley resident Madalyn Rofer, 24. “There’s just no high like finding something that’s 50% off the lowest marked price.”

Rofer, 24, who said she visits a mall about twice a week, was one of many who said they get a rush from a quick dash through a mall during sale time, not to mention a thrill from the competition of finding that special item that they seem to have been drawn to by fate.

“It’s really great when you see something you wanted for a very long time and it’s on sale and there’s only one size and it’s yours, and you know it’s divine providence that you had to have it,” Rofer said.

For others, like Selma Saxton, the mall serves as the modern town square. Saxton, 34, said she visits South Coast Plaza at least once a week but does not make a purchase every time.

“I like to take my daughter to the merry-go-round, or go into the Disney store,” she said. “Besides, you feel safer (at a mall) than a deserted park.”

Saxton, a jewelry designer, added that the sights and sounds of mall life offer inspiration for her works. “I’ll look at whatever is new, like the colors for the next season or the latest trends,” she said. “And . . . people watching. That’s fun to do.”

Undoubtedly, shopping is at the very least a recreational activity for many county residents.

“Sometimes I just like to go out, I just like looking in stores,” said Irvine resident Sarah McElroy, 29. When she is window-shopping and not interested in making any purchases, she said, she prefers stores that sell novelty items and books over clothing. “I only go to clothes stores when I have the money.”

While compulsive or recreational shopping is often associated with women, Kreedman said that men can be just as prone to shop--although in a different venue.

“The difference is females will go to the malls and buy an outfit,” Kreedman said. “But males will buy a car or a stereo. Most men just buy major items, so they don’t go to the malls.”