Last night I bought three winter dresses for the grand total of $16.09 with tax.

They were originally tagged for $89, $99 and $109, although I would have waited until they went on sale for about $45 each or done without.

The occasion? The store closing sale at the Gottschalks (former Harris location at East Hills Mall). Last day: Aug. 23.

The newly consolidated Gottschalks store at the east end of the mall is open and fully functioning, and operating as a regular store. (Read reporter John Cox's story about the store consolidations here.)

I arrived at the location that's closing about 7:20 p.m. By 7:45 p.m., sales associates were walking the aisles, calling out to get in line as the store would close at 8 p.m.

Bottom line: Just about everything in the store is $5. I spotted a few bins of items for $2 each, and store fixtures such as display tables were priced per piece, many at about $25.

The store wasn't packed, but was definitely busy.

The merchandise spanned all seasons — winter, spring, summer and fall. Bathing suits? Check. Cheesy Christmas sweaters with snowmen? Check, if that's what you really wanted!

Here are the catches I observed:

• No fitting rooms. That meant I saw a lot of people trying on clothes over their shirts and dresses. It also meant I did a double-take when I saw a woman pull off her shirt, revealing her bra, to try on a shirt she might buy. Not sure the Gottschalks folks would be pleased!

• Cash or credit card only. No checks.

• All sales final, no returns, no exchanges. (In other words, be careful to pick the dress with the sash attached, not the one where it was clearly missing.)

• You of course need to go through the racks, but thankfully everything was pretty well organized by color.

• Hours at the closing store: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday though Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

— Christine Peterson