Shoppers bring it down to the wire
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Paul Clinton
SOUTH COAST PLAZA -- Last-minute shoppers buzzed around South Coast
Plaza on Christmas Eve, looking for that final item to cross off the gift
list.
Steve Halloran, who lives in Newport Beach, said he needed to pick up
a gift for his brother’s wife and his niece.
Buying a gift just under the wire charges him up, Halloran said.
“Just finishing up,” he said, as he walked out of Nordstrom at around
9:30 a.m. “I love the atmosphere. Usually I just wait until the
afternoon.”
Others said they dreaded heading into a crowded mall at the zero hour.
Jim Luzar, a Huntington Beach resident, bought a shirt for his father
at the Gap. It was his final purchase.
“I’m clearly in that camp,” Luzar said, about his aversion toward
malls. “I’m just on my way out.”
Department stores at the plaza opened at 8 a.m. on Monday to give
folks another precious hour to finish their shopping. The other shops
opened their doors at 9 a.m.
It was a short shopping day for retailers, who closed their doors,
along with the plaza, at 6 p.m.
As the last shopping day before Christmas Day, Monday brought out a
steady flow of shoppers. It was shaping up to be far less busy than the
prior two weekend days, mall officials said.
“We expected it to be a busy day, but we don’t expect it to be the
busiest,” said Debra Gunn Downing, the plaza’s spokeswoman. “It’s not
going to be as busy as Saturday or Sunday.”
Activity was fairly steady at the plaza’s carousel, where parents
shuffled their children in for a final ride on the faux horses.
In the morning, shoppers milled around with cups of coffee, pausing to
nail down some final holiday plans on cell phones or sitting down to read
a magazine.
Henry Gluski, after buying some decorative jewelry for his wife at
Robinsons-May, said he enjoyed the experience. Gluski was in town from
Miami visiting relatives in Newport Beach.
“I like to go out and like the atmosphere, as long as it doesn’t get
too overcrowded,” Gluski said. “So far, it has been pleasant.”
* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may
be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7
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