O.C. Early Birds Not Only Get the Discounts, They Also Get the Parking Spots

Tracy Flinn made sure to get to Fashion Island early Friday, not because she was afraid of missing out on bargains, but because she hates fighting for a parking spot.

“I just rolled in and parked right outside Neiman Marcus,” said the 27-year-old from Irvine, who arrived at the shopping center by 9 a.m. “There was no one here then, but I knew it would get to be a zoo later.”

Mary Beth Newkirk and her mother, Shirley Newkirk, had the same idea as they headed to South Coast Plaza for some holiday shopping.

“We got here by 8 o’clock so the traffic was no problem,” said Mary Beth Newkirk, 45, of Huntington Beach.

Those who waited longer weren’t so lucky as the official start of the holiday season opened Friday to scenes of bustling shops and packed parking lots around Orange County.

Bob Turgalow spent five minutes circling around the lots at Fashion Island, looking for a space.

“I hate looking for parking,” said the 34-year-old Corona del Mar man. “But it’s just not as bad here as at other malls. That’s why I come here. It makes the shopping a little easier.”

By 1:15 p.m., about 90% of the mall’s 6,000 parking spaces were filled, said Fashion Island spokesman Bob Spain.

“There are cars circling around looking for spaces but they’re finding them,” he said. “The traffic is flowing. People seem to know where the empty spaces are.”

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Kim Leuteritz, 27, of Irvine said she and her mother spent about 15 minutes looking for a parking space at South Coast Plaza, arriving at 11:30 a.m.

“It wasn’t bad on the freeway, but once you got off, it was backed up,” she said.

But Leuteritz took the traffic in stride. After all, she said, it’s one of the busiest shopping days of the year. “It’s what I anticipated,” she added.

By early afternoon, an estimated 200,000 shoppers had passed through South Coast Plaza, officials said. Costa Mesa police had seven extra officers on duty to help control the traffic, which officers said was heavy but flowing.

Many avoided some the traffic rush by using a shuttle that runs between South Coast Plaza, Crystal Court and South Coast Plaza Village every few minutes or the $4 valet parking service.

Stephen Paliska, general manager of PPS Parking Inc., said valet business on the day after Thanksgiving is second only to the day after Christmas.

“Normally, there is plenty of parking here,” he said. “But with so many packages, people find [valet parking] very convenient.”

South Coast Plaza officials offered other ideas to help beat the rush: New signs on the San Diego, Corona del Mar and Costa Mesa freeways suggest alternative routes to South Coast Plaza and Crystal Court; and the North Parking Structure, near Nordstrom, and the South Parking Structure, near Saks Fifth Avenue, are traditionally the least used of all the parking lots, especially on the top level.

Many shoppers said arriving early is still the best bet.

An 87-year-old Orange County woman who declined to give her name said she braved the crowds at South Coast Plaza only because her sister had offered to drive. But they arrived early enough to have breakfast.

“It was a much nicer experience,” she said.