Orange County Register

All morning, visit the Irvine Retail blog for updates on the madness that is Black Friday, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. Will big sales result in money saved for consumers?

One possible sign of the recessive times greeted me inside a food court at Fashion Island, where a shoe-shining bench lacked its shoe-shiner. A plastic-encased piece of paper read, “(we’re) taking a temporary leave of absence.”

Outside, Jean Meronk and Maria Nalywayko sat near the carousel. Bags from Restoration Hardware rested on their table.

En route to Fashion Island, Nalywayko and her daughter, 9-year-old Zoe, stopped at Mervyn’s, which is going out business. The company’s was clearing out all its inventory, they said, selling even the clothing racks.

A depressing sight, they added.

With a clear sky and warm air, they were pleased to be out, though.

“We’re feeling pretty happy,” said Meronk, there with her niece, 18-year-old Lara Plumlee.

After strategizing over lunch, the group planned to bargain hunt for a $100, 40-inch plasma TV.

Comment below with your tips and pointers for avoiding long lines and finding the best deals.

Several hundred people wait in line outside the Forever 21 in the Irvine Spectrum Center. MIGUEL VASCONCELLOS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

All morning, visit the Irvine Retail blog for updates on the madness that is Black Friday, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. Will big sales result in money saved for consumers?

Foot traffic looked pretty sparse by 8 a.m. at the Irvine Spectrum Center, so shoppers had plenty of room to hang and swing bulky bags from their arms.

The logo of Old Navy, offering deep discounts throughout the weekend, was omnipresent. Shoppers also flooded in and out of Urban Outfitters, which offered 50 percent off anything already on sale before 10 a.m.

At Forever 21, some shoppers seem poised to find — and yell at — a manager. Acting on information they said they read on the retailer’s Web site and in the Orange County Register, they arrived as early as 4 a.m., thinking the doors would open by 6.

Then came 6. Still closed.

Then came 7. Nada.

Then a security officer let those toward front of the line know that deadbolts wouldn’t be loosened until 9. Shoppers reported feeling kinda gypped, they said.

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Shoppers steer carts through Target during the first couple minutes of the store's early opening. MIGUEL VASCONCELLOS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

All morning, visit the Irvine Retail blog for updates on the madness that is Black Friday, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. Will big sales result in money saved for consumers?

At the Irvine Marketplace Target on Jamboree Road, about 550 people were queued up at 5:15 a.m. for the store’s 6 a.m. opening, with a line of early-risers curving around planters to form an elongated “U.”

Security officers manned the door, speaking crackling messages into hand-held radios. None were cracking smiles, though, as they kept their eyes out for any hovering folks who might attempt to cut in line and sneak through the doors.

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