COSTA MESA : Shuttle, More Staff Added for Holidays

Bracing for today’s traditional start-of-the-holiday-shopping crush, South Coast Plaza has started a parking lot shuttle service, hired dozens of additional staff to direct shoppers and is offering tips to avoid the traffic and crowds.

Shoppers can now hop aboard a shuttle in the parking lot that will ferry them to the mall and Crystal Court and back again, mall spokeswoman Jan Roberts said. Also, in an effort to free up parking spaces, more than 5,000 mall workers will park their cars at a nearby lot and take the bus to work. Because each parking space is used several times a day, the move should free up spaces for 25,000 visitors, she said.

Inside, guides stationed at each mall directory will direct shoppers and answer questions. Also, South Coast Plaza has hired additional security guards and is offering escorts for people who don’t want to walk alone to their cars at night.

The operators of the mall have also put together a printed shopping guide advising people how to avoid the traffic and crowds. The guide suggests shopping on Mondays through Wednesdays and in the early mornings and late evening hours, Roberts said.