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FOXBORO - When her friends heard she was going shopping at Patriot Place on Sunday, Stacey David said they called her "crazy."

"They thought I was nuts," said the 33-year-old nurse from Phillipston, as she exited the Christmas Tree Shops carrying several bags Sunday afternoon. "They thought I didn't realize that there was a game, but I did."

David and a few of her friends planned on spending the day shopping at the Wrentham Village Outlets and decided to hit Patriot Place first, before heavy game traffic started.

"We came early enough and we're leaving in the opposite direction of the stadium traffic, so we should be fine," said David's friend, Seanna O'Brien, 33, a private school admissions and marketing executive. "If we're out of here by two o'clock, we should be fine."

David and her friends weren't the only ones who opted for some retail therapy Sunday, despite the potential Route 1 traffic tie-ups for the 4:15 p.m. kickoff of the Patriots-Jets game. Tanya DeCosta, 38, an accountant from Attleboro, said that she and her daughter made a last-minute decision to head for Patriot Place after leaving brunch at Lake Pearl Luciano's in Wrentham. "I forgot that there was a Patriots' game and only remembered when I saw the orange cones on Route 1," DeCosta said. "It's been fine though. Other than having to get a ticket to park and seeing lots of Patriots' jerseys, it's not much different than any other time."

Her daughter, Sarah DeCosta, 16, a sophomore at Attleboro High School who had already hit Victoria's Secret, Aeropostale and Hollister in the hour that they were at the Route 1 shopping plaza, said she would have come shopping even if there was traffic, "as long as it wasn't too bad."

In order to thwart parking attempts by those going to the game, shoppers entering the parking lots at Patriot Place are given tickets and instructional flyers by the attendants advising them of parking regulations, which include a $150 fine if they do not leave by a specified time.

Several merchants said that while home games may dissuade some shoppers and diners from coming to Patriot Place, the football fans who frequent their establishments more than make up for those who steer clear of the Route 1 shopping plaza.

"You get a different type of crowd on game day," said Adam Plante, 27, a North Attleboro resident and manager of Tavolino, an Italian gourmet restaurant. "Having a home game does drive away business, but we get the fans in here, so it makes up for it."

"On non-game day, we get more of the entree types, but on game days, we get the pizza, beer and Tuscan wings types more of a rough and rugged crowd," he added.

Mansfield resident Karen Palmer, 35, a stay-at-home mom, said she and her husband, Dave, had taken their two children, Kyla, 4, and Trevor, almost 2, to the nature trail behind Bass Pro Shops Sunday morning.

"Usually we would avoid Patriot Place on game day," Palmer said. "But we were here already and it didn't look too bad, so we decided to try to get a little shopping in before naptime."

"We'll see how it is getting out of here," she added. "I'm more concerned about that."

Bellingham resident Lynne Trainer, 41, who was shopping with her daughter, Victoria, 4, in the early afternoon on Sunday, said she knew there would be added traffic on Sunday, but was confident that between parking lot attendants and Route 1 traffic enforcement, she would be able to navigate Route 1 rather effortlessly. "I work all week and this is my day to shop," said Trainer, an information technology specialist at a Boston law firm. "I knew traffic would be heavier than usual on Route 1, but not enough to keep me from coming."

Franklin resident Jackie Longley, 27, a sales representative, said that like Trainer, Sunday is her day to shop. "I actually like coming here on a game day," said Longley, who was wearing a #54 Tedy Bruschi jersey. "I only go to a couple of games a season, so when I can't go, I like being around other fans. It's fun seeing everyone in the parking lots getting excited about the game."

North Attleboro resident Kelly Curtis, 19, a sophomore at Stonehill College and a hostess at Tavolino, said she enjoys game days at the restaurant.

"It's definitely more exciting with the fans here," she said. "It's more fun."

Joe Kelly, a shift supervisor at Trophy Town, a sports memorabilia store at Patriot Place, said that shoppers come on both game days and non-game days. "People still come, whether there's a game or not. I don't really see a difference."