Packing plastic and patience

Kathleen Fletcher of Lake Forest

and her daughter went to South Coast Plaza on Black Friday to shop for “the men.�

“We like quality, but we like it at a good price,� Flecher said.

Shopping on the biggest retail day of the year is also a tradition for Dannette Clements.

Every year, Clements and her friends drive from the Inland Empire to spend Thanksgiving in Newport Beach. When the eating is over, the shopping begins.

“A group of us is at South Coast Plaza right now and we plan to meet later,� Clements said.

Clements started the day at 7 a.m. at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. In addition to Macy’s, she hit Bloomingdale’s and had lunch with her girlfriends.

The uninitiated also came out.

Carol Huang said she didn’t know about Black Friday until last year. She and her friend got to Fashion Island in the morning to shop at Urban Outfitters.

But the lines were too long, and Huang found her patience tested.

“I’m not sure if I’m going to buy anything,� she said.

Kashif Ghani had a $25 gift certificate for the Gap and planned to capitalizing on the store’s half-off offer, which lasted until 10 a.m.

He made it to the Gap at South Coast Plaza at 8:30 a.m. but by 10 a.m. he was still in line to get in.

Rose Ruiz brought her boyfriend, AJ Brazel, to the Macy’s at South Coast Plaza because he needed the clothes.

“I hate shopping, and I hate the crowd,� Brazel said.

But before noon he had already saved at least $200 buying a jacket, a sweater and two shirts before heading on a trip to Las Vegas.

Amany Ahmed got to Fashion Island at 5 a.m., when most stores were still closed. She and her daughter, Nora, went looking for bedsheets, but didn’t find any bargains.

“We’re very tired,� she said. “We dropped, but we haven’t shopped yet.�