The lowdown on where to go to get the goods

Remember this: when your parents come to help you make the big move into a new home and new city, they want to make sure you will be blissfully happy at Yale—and they're really excited to get rid of you after 18 long years of agony. So, for one week and one week only, they will buy you anything you want. Anything. Milk them for all they're worth. Think of them as a mobile ATM.

In order to get maximum milkage, you must come up with a plan. There are three major commercial areas in downtown New Haven: Chapel Street, Whitney Avenue, and Broadway, all near campus.

The Yale Bookstore (77 Broadway) and the Yale Co-op (924 Chapel St.) can meet most of your needs—from toothbrushes to picture frames. However, it's probably a good idea to start your shopping elsewhere while your parents are still here to help you —those two stores will be easily accessible year-round.

Furniture

Your common room will have to be ready for days and nights of parties, movies, and, of course, couch duty. Naturally, you will need a couch and some comfy chairs , because that hardwood, beer-stained floor can get mighty uncomfortable.

JOHN YI/YH On nearby Whitney Avenue (above) and Chapel Street (below) you can buy everything from a slice of pizza or cup of coffee to used books or T-shirts.

Thrift store bargains aplenty can be found at Goodwill Industries (887 Grand Ave.). But make sure to get there early because the best buys disappear fast. Or you can take a long, strange trip up Whalley to The Rubber Match (101 Whalley Ave.) for futons, waterbeds, and drug paraphernalia. Really. Don't bring your parents.

Be wary of shifty upperclassmen on Old Campus. Some are trying to sucker you into buying the couch that their sophomore year roommate set on fire, but others have good deals to offer. Old Campus is still the most convenient place to purchase furnishings, although a little haggling might be in order.

Necessities

A good place to buy necessities such as soap and shampoo is Rite-Aid, with locations in the Chapel Square Mall and at 60 Whalley Ave. just past the Holiday Inn. Taft Cosmetics (2 Whitney Ave.) is another spot to buy all the basics, albeit at somewhat higher prices.

There are few better opportunities than the Radio Shack in the Chapel Square Mall to squeeze Ma and Pa like a Tropicana orange. Tell them that you absolutely need that new, more powerful Walkman to drown out the distracting chatter of your roommates, or warn them they may never get in touch with you again unless they buy you a brand new cordless phone. Dads love to poke around in here, and you can find useful items like cables and extension cords.

As an alternative to the Chapel Square Mall, the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford houses a number of reliable national chains such as Linens 'n' Things, and Pier 1 Imports. For those without parent chauffers, Conn Post is the convenient terminus of CT Transit's O bus.

For school supplies, you can avoid the inflated prices of the Co-op and the Yale Bookstore by tramping over to Staples on Dixwell. If you are willing to trek farther up Dixwell toward Hamden, you can find the department stores Bradlees and Caldor.

Food

If you're in Silliman or Timothy Dwight, you'll wind up dropping more than a few bucks at Wall Food (82 Wall St.). It's like Krauszer's, except it closes at midnight and sells really tasty Dutch Mill brand donuts and cookies that come hot out of the oven every hour or so.

JOHN YI/YH

After subsisting on dining hall mozzarella bricks and M&M cookies for a few months, you might find yourself with a nasty case of scurvy or rickets. If this happens, head down to Jong's Produce (1147 Chapel St.), the only place near campus where you'll actually be able to find fresh fruits and vegetables. The staff is friendly, you can buy Asian specialty groceries, and the salad bar is very nice.

If you like looking at giant squids in buckets filled with ice, go to Great Wall of China (67 Whitney Ave.). It sells fresh fish, Chinese groceries, and assorted sundries and dry goods. Great Wall also offers a small eating area in the back with fast Chinese food—a bustling, hectic place to enjoy your General Tso's Chicken.

Two years ago, New Haven was blessed by the opening of its own supermarket—Shaw's (150 Whalley Ave.). Finally, Yalies have a place within walking distance where they can buy everything from chips to fresh fruit to birthday cakes. Shaw's also has an excellent salad bar for those dinners on the go. It can be a long trip back if you're carrying large bags, so a friend with a car is always a plus.

Tunes

As a result of several recent closures, the only real record store in the city is Cutler's (27 Broadway). Just last year it underwent a huge renovation and moved its thousands of discs to a smaller space next door, making way for new stores under Broadway's revitalization project. For some people who loved the old-fashioned Cutler's, New Haven will never be the same, but the new space is brighter and more efficient, and is still one of the best independent record stores around. You can find nearly any CD you desire, albeit at a slightly hiked price. A row of headphones connected to constantly running CD players allows you to sample tracks from the newest hit albums. Cutler's also has a huge collection of used CD and LP's from all sorts of genres. It's a great place to browse while avoiding your work.

Next door to Cutler's is its classical music counterpart, the only all-classical store in the area. It offers a comprehensive selection of anything from Baroque to avant-garde in CDs and cassettes. The store is also home to one very cute cat, who sleeps in the window display for most of the day, but occasionally stalks around the aisles and will submit to petting if you're extra-nice. Another place to check out is Secret Sounds (166 York St.), located in the back of Solemate (see under Clothing). This is a little-known spot where you can find rare imports and singles of alternative bands. It also has an impressive collection of LP's and EP's, all in great condition.

Clothing

Spirited Yalies can find Yale paraphernalia at the Co-op and Bookstore, but Boola Boola (21 Broadway) and Campus Clothing (57 Broadway) have more reasonable prices.

A variety of small boutiques line Chapel Street. Endleman Two (1020 Chapel St.) and Seychelles (1014 Chapel St.) offer dresses and accessories and are places that aren't so bad for a formal dress—but both are pricey and best for browsing. The same goes for Raggs for Men (1020 Chapel St.), Seychelles' male counterpart and Enson's (1050 Chapel St.) which sells semi-formal menswear from Canadian and US designers. Hello Boutique (1090 Chapel St.) offers elegant women's clothing in natural fibers and is also on the expensive side, but carries some less pricey casuals on the lower level.

The Gap (994 Chapel St.) stands at the corner of Chapel and College and Ann Taylor (968 Chapel St.)—the first one in the country—is right down the street. Archetype Clothing (265 College St.), a women's boutique carrying items from stores like French Connection, is close by as well. The shirts, pants, skirts, and coats are up-to-the-minute in fashion, and the staff is always ready with suggestions. The Chapel Square Mall is another place to visit if you're looking for reasonable prices. Stores like Foxnoor have bargain treasures.

For vintage clothing, the Salvation Army (274 Crown St.) and Casablanca Boutique (1146 Chapel St.) are the places to go. Casablanca runs the gamut of '20s flapper hats, '50s faux-fur-lined car coats, and '70s flares. It also sells African sculptures, beaded jewelry, and tapestry rugs. Away from the Chapel Street area, J. Press Inc. (262 York St.) offers men's suits and winter scarves in Yale's residential college colors for a preppy Old Blue look. On Broadway, the soon-to-open chain-store Urban Outfitters will likely be another popular destination for Yalies.

Those long walks to class will put you in the market for a new pair of shoes. At Barrie Ltd. (268 York St.), at the corner of Elm and York Streets, they've got styles ranging from prep school to wacky. The newly relocated Bottega Giuliana is another sure bet for footwear. It offers a good array of designer fashions for both men and women. In the back, there are also racks of last season's styles for up to 70 percent off, and sells cool jewelry, sunglasses, and clothing as well. Solemate (166 York St.) is a small boutique that carries such styles as Doc Martens, Rocket Dog, Fluevog, and Vegetarian Shoes. You can also find anything from socks, wallets, bags, and Manic Panic hair dye. Looking for more mainstream chain-store comfort? Try The Athlete's Foot, Lady Foot Locker, or Payless Shoe Source, all located in the Chapel Square Mall.

Jessica Winter, Kenrick Ou, and Yuka Igarashi contributed to this article.

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