Black Friday: Macy’s at South Coast Plaza at 8 a.m.

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Sleep seemed very appealing to Donna Bastedo earlier this morning, but the lure of the Black Friday sale at Macy’s in South Coast Plaza was stronger.

So Bastedo, 50, rolled out of bed and into the darkness outside, where she was pleasantly surprised by the absence of pushing and shoving. That made it easier for the Costa Mesa resident to pack her overflowing cart with kitchen novelties, including a crockpot, panini press, buffet warmer and fajita maker.

Others, however, were being a bit more stingy. Caprice Davis gave up a full-time volunteer position to look for a better salary, but has struggled to find bargains to fit her budget.

She was eyeing the same fajita set as Bastedo and decided that the $9.99 price tag was too good to pass up, especially since it was marked down from $39.99.

But she was less than thrilled at the cold weather and long wait, having trekked from her Los Angeles home hoping that an upscale shopping center would be less crowded than most.

‘I didn’t think there would be as much pandemonium as perhaps a mall closer to home,’ Davis said.

But even as the morning wore on, the frenzy continued. Security guards directed traffic in the crammed parking lot. Clothes and open shoe boxes were scattered around the store, where countless red discount signs loomed over each aisle.

-- Gerrick Kennedy