{Los Angeles / OC} Shopping on Saturday after Black Friday?

November 25, 2014 3:25 PM

So, how crazy is it to go shopping at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa CA on the SATURDAY after Black Friday? Will it be as crowded as the day before?

I must admit that in the past, I have stayed far, far away from all shopping malls for the whole weekend.
But party clothes MUST be purchased and soon! Thanks, all!

posted by calgirl to Shopping (9 answers total)

It's going to be an insane mass of wall-to-wall people. Parking, shopping and eating will be madness. Expect to spend the entire day there and get maybe the equivalent of a couple of hours of regular shopping done.

Speaking from experience as a very recently former retail employee who lives in the OC with lots of friends who work at SCP.
posted by sleeping bear at 3:29 PM on November 25, 2014

Agreed, it is miserable. If you must go, go around 4-5pm, if not a little later. Stuff will still be available, but the crowds will have disappeared enough to make it a little more manageable.
posted by Hermione Granger at 3:35 PM on November 25, 2014

It will be crazy, but if you don't have to park, it will be 75% less crazy. Have someone drop you off and pick you up.
posted by acidic at 4:01 PM on November 25, 2014

South Coast Plaza is insane for the entire rest of the year from here on out.
posted by primethyme at 4:12 PM on November 25, 2014

SCP isn't that bad in the afternoon/evening of Black Friday, but it will still be jam-packed with holiday shoppers. Just not as awful as it will be Black Friday morning.

Related: I think I will do ALL my holiday shopping online this year. The malls seem to get worse every year at holiday season, or maybe it's just the recovering economy
posted by raw sugar at 4:18 PM on November 25, 2014

Actually, I would vote for arriving at mall opening since you're going Saturday. Stores may still be a wreck but the mall would probably be quietest then vs any other time that day. Malls are still very busy that weekend as many retailers either maintain sales through the weekend or flip to new great promos. And Christmas shopping will have officially begun, which means evenings start to get busy pretty consistently, especially on weekends.
posted by marmago at 4:40 PM on November 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

Doonnnnnnnnnnnnt goooooooooo. (OOOOO)..........(oooooo)

(70 years in So, Cal. speaks.)

You really don't have to go, really. You won't have a chance to actually examine anything before someone rips it out of your hand, and you don't need the hate-looks that you're going to get from fellow (fellow, Ahhahahaha. That's a killer!) shoppers and shop girls/boys. Hell of a way to start the Christmas Season. Unless you must try something on, there's an astonishing array of stuff available on the net. (And if you do have to try it on, it must be for you and prices will better after Xmas, when Black Friday is only a squalid memory.) And if somebody else has to try it on, most likely they will exchage it anyway. You don't want to put someone you care about through that. Stay home and search the web. Doesn't have to be Amazon.

(ooo............oo...h)
posted by carping demon at 6:04 PM on November 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

It's going to be terrible, but go anyway.

Just gird your loins. I rarely shop after Thanksgiving, but sometimes needs must.

I will say that you can shop online with Macy's and just try on everything at home, and take back what you don't want. If you spend over $50 there's free shipping, also coupons galore!

But if this is truly NOT the thing you enjoy, stay away and enjoy cyber Monday.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:56 AM on November 26, 2014

Response by poster: Update for future reads...
We went late afternoon on the Saturday and it wasn't bad at all!
I think the door-busting folk all went home for an early dinner...It was busy but not c-r-a-z-y...
thanks all.
posted by calgirl at 9:44 PM on December 26, 2014