The consummate picture of Dec. 26 at Twin Cities boutiques is a line of shoppers shivering outside Bibelot, waiting as long as three hours for the opportunity to buy gift wrap at 50 percent off. I'm wondering if they're going to bother setting the alarm this year. Bibelot has already run sales on holiday items and more…and so has the rest of the retail world. Still, local shops are going to try to entice us: Karma and Flirt are holding their post-Christmas sale together (and handing out numbers at 9 a.m. should any diehards decide to arrive early). Key North will continue the holiday trend of serving drinks (hot rum) to shoppers. JC Penney is opening earlier than ever: 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 26 – with twice as many doorbusters as last year. Still, they're worried that's not incentive enough. So JC Penney is offering wake-up calls. Sign up at JCP.com. Ask nicely, and they'll probably come over and put the toothpaste on the toothbrush for you as well

Post-Christmas sale shoppers are a calmer, quieter bunch than the crowd that hits the malls on Black Friday. These folks live by a simple credo: gift wrap and holiday decor should never be purchased for less than 50 percent off. I joined the diehards before sunrise the day after Christmas at Kohl’s, Herberger’s, JC Penney and Macy’s. Herberger’s at Rosedale was by far the busiest  (my, those Herberger’s shoppers are devoted) – thanks to coupons in the paper and some 60 to 70 percent off deals. Now, we’re talking. But overall, the line at Caribou Coffee was longer than at any store. There definitely are deals to be had right now — especially if you could use a sweater or some boots (no, not the Uggs — those are still full price). Just don’t expect the discounts to be a whole lot better than they were before Christmas. And if you thought you could sleep in and still score some cheap gift wrap, you’re probably right. But you might have to settle for that unfortunate gold.