If you didn't make it to Saks Off Fifth on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis this week, you still haven't missed 70% off the entire store. The store is expected to close Jan. 20, according to one sales associate on Wednesday. The 70% off the lowest marked price sale

(shown) began Monday, Dec. 22 and is expected to remain at 70% off until Jan. 4, when it may get bumped up to 80%, she said. Items are selling quickly, but there was still plenty of merchandise on Dec. 24. Saks is considering a new, smaller location in Minneapolis, but has not confirmed anything yet, according to Tiffany Bourre, director of external communications at Hudson Bay Company, which owns Saks. It opened a new outlet in Twin Cities Premium Outlets in Eagan last summer.

Judith McGrann & Friends gift shop (4615 Excelsior Blvd, Mpls., 612-922-2971) discounts her entire store 50% every year on Dec. 26 through the end of the year. Nothing is held back including women's clothing and accessories, jewelry, ceramics, kitchen ware, candles and seasonal items. Discounts do not increase. Unsold items are donated to charity. This is a very popular sale. Get in line before the store opens for the best selection.

Another store that will have diehard fans waiting in line on Friday before the doors open is Room & Board in Edina. Despite the popular outlet store in Golden Valley, R&B's after Christmas sale is extremely well-attended. Save 20 to 50 percent. All floor samples are final sale as in the outlet store, but insiders will be checking the website at midnight on Dec. 25 for additional items released on clearance that may be returned if they don't work. Locals can also save on shipping costs by picking items up at the Golden Valley Distribution Center.

Other sales of note: Nordstrom's Half-Yearly men's sale begins Friday and continues through Dec. 29 at Mall of America. Half-Price Books discounts everything 20% Friday through Dec. 30. An underappreciated bargain shop called Discount 70 (4027 Central Av. NE., Columbia Heights, 763-781-8922) discounts everything in the main store 50%, except sofas and loveseats, through Jan. 3.