The lowdown on where to go 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 mobile ATMs.

JOHN YI/YH KIRA RYSKINA/YH On nearby Whitney Avenue (top) and Chapel Street (bottom) you can buy everything from a slice of pizza or cup of coffee to used books or t-shirts.

In order to get maximum milkage, you must devise 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) 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 since the Bookstore 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 a dirty hardwood floor can get mighty uncomfortable.

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 quickly. Or you can take the strip up Whalley to The Rubber Match (101 Whalley Ave.) for futons, waterbeds, and, uh, drug paraphernalia. Really. Don't bring your parents. Also try the Salvation Army (274 Crown St., also under Clothing).

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 bit of annoying 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 that 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 parental chauffers, Connecticut Post is the convenient terminus of CT Transit's O bus.

For school supplies, avoid the inflated prices of the Yale Bookstore by heading to Staples (84 Whalley Ave.). If you are willing to trek up Dixwell toward Hamden, you can find Bradlees (2300 Dixwell Ave.).

Food

A place you will definitely visit often is Krauszer's (264 York St.), a 24-hour corner store. Trust us. Although the prices are a tad steep and the selection is rather spotty, where else are you going to go when it's 3 a.m., that 15-page-paper hasn't even been started, and you need a couple of Twinkies or a ham and cheese sub to get you started again? Actually, you could patronize the newly-opened Gourmet Heaven (15 Broadway), also open 'round the clock for all your snack and grocery needs. More upscale than grungy Krauszer's, Gourmet Heaven has hot and cold buffets, a sandwich station, and some seating upstairs.

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.

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.), where you can find fresh fruits and vegetables as well as Asian specialty groceries and a nice salad bar.

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.

A few 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 from most of the campus 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 find a friend with a car.

Tunes

As a result of several closures, the only real record store in the city is Cutler's (27 Broadway). It recently 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 CDs and LPs 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.

Clothing

Spirited Yalies can find Yale paraphernalia at the 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 formal dress—but both are pricey and best for browsing. The same goes for Raggs for Men (1020 Chapel St.), Sey-chelles' 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. Alexia Crawford, scheduled to open soon, will fulfill all of your trendy women's wear needs.

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, 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 for reasonable prices. Stores like Foxmoor (900 Chapel St.) have bargain treasures.

For vintage clothing, the Salvation Army 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, Urban Outfitters (43 Broadway) sells overpriced t-shirts picturing '80s cartoon characters.

Those long walks to class will put you in the market for new shoes. At Barrie Ltd. (268 York St.), at the corner of Elm and York Streets, they've got styles ranging from preppy to wacky. Bottega Giuliana (954 Chapel St.) is another sure bet for footwear. It offers a good array of designer fashions for men and women. In the back, there are racks of last season's styles for up to 70 percent off, and the store also sells jewelry, sunglasses, and clothing. Trailblazer (296 Elm St.) carries a wide array of outdoor gear, including jackets, hiking boots, rock climbing equipment, and sleeping bags. The prices are steep, but no other store in New Haven offers this sort of selection. 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.

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