Our First Annual January Bargain Tour

THE Wall Street Journal reports that many shopping centers now stay open Sundays because families are shopping together instead of praying together. People shop, for spiritual fulfillment instead of going to church, for escape instead of going to the movies, and for relaxation instead of going to sleep.

Christmas is, of course, the big season for shopping. But this Christmas inflation and the fear of recession made the Great American Spender tighter than expected, leaving many products still on the shelf-conspicuously unconsumed.

The retailers don't like to admit it. The manager of a Mt. Auburn St. men's clothier (whose name contains its New York address) ordered a CRIMSON reporter out of the store when the reporter suggested that revenue about equal to that of Christmas 1968, what with 5 per cent higher prices, probably meant a lower volume of business.

But it's true. There's lots of merchandise lying around and lots of bargains to be had. So this reading period, instead of seeing The African Queen for the sixth time, you might find it profitable to join the hordes looking for a good buy and a richer life in the stores around Harvard Square. And to make your job easier, the CRIMSON has done a little comparative shopping to help set you off in the right direction.

HEADING up Plympton Street, you arrive at Krackerjack's where manager Mr. McCoy says December dollar sales were about the same in 1968, but only because of higher prices. None-theless, their big sale doesn't start for a couple of weeks. But you can get a pair of bright red boots now for $10 off. (Reduced from $40-figure it out.) Next door, Ferranti-Dege is offering half-off on fresh Gevart-Agfa photographic paper-500 8x10 sheets only $27.50.

The Harvard Bookstore and the Coop are both having sales of publishers' overstock. At the Harvard Bookstore, a photo album of Ranches and Ranch Life in America is reduced from $10 to $4.95 and a biography of Byron's half-sister is down to $2.49 from $6.50. At the Coop, Only to God, the Extraordinary Life of Geoffrey Lowell Cabot has been humbled from $8.98 to $2.98, and Time-Life correspondent Hugh Sidey's reminiscences of the Johnson Administration have tumbled across a $4 credibility gap from $5.95 to $1.98.

Starting down Mt. Auburn Street, you discover that Cahaly's Market is offering 7c off on Gravy Train. The Harvard Food Services was unavailable for comment. But if it's food you're after, go directly to the Bick, where the window proclaims "Prices Slashed!" You can get, among other things, fishcakes and beans for 70 cents-but only on Friday. The rest of the week you have to pay $.85.

That was refreshing. But back on Mt. Auburn Street, Serendipity is having a sale on dresses, gifts, and jewelry. Pendants are all half-off, but the salesgirl reports with a sigh, "The year of the pendant is over." Has it been a year already? Well, console your-self with a pink feather duster-also half-off and the year of the feather duster has just begun.

The Tennis and Squash Shop has had a wonderful year and contemplates no sale this month. "You can't write about the death and destruction of business with our help," they said.

Turning up Holyoke Street: the Andover Shop (men's clothing) is starting its sale next week. They have a very pretty salesgirl and a lot of wide-wale corduroy pants. Next door at Bobbi Baker (outfitters of Channel 4 movie reviewer Pat Collins), we asked the manager to have one of the salesgirls put on some of their sales items for a picture. "My God," she shrieked, "I've got so much on sale-she'd fall right through the floor. I'm a regular Filene's Basement," to name another good place for bargains, if you feel like traveling father afield, and a nice white fur coat with curly stuff all over it is reduced from $400 to $200.

ACROSS the street, Rogers Harvard Square will give you $10 off a skirt made out of rabbit fur. Next door, at Estabrook and Co., the stockbrokers, they're featuring American Telephone and Telegraph at around $50. Ling-Tempco-Vought is reduced to $27 from a high of $97 in 1969, and Pan American World Airways has been cut from $31 to $14. Settebello next door has more dresses and shoes and such at around 30 per cent off.

On the other side of Holyoke Center, Finer Things and the Ferdinand Roten Gallery do not have sales, but they both proudly announce that they are "maintaining our prices until the end of the month." They seem to think that is quite a feat these days.

J. Press is quietly throwing a "semiannual reduction." Among the bargains: a thin red tie with squash rackets on it, reduced from $7.50 to $6.35. At the Harvard Pro, for only $5.60 you can get a case of Schlitz (12-oz. cans) that once brought $6.79.

Working your way up Boylston Street, you find the Crimson Travel Service willing to sell you a round-trip ticket to Europe for $29.30-provided that you're accompanied by an adult and under two years old. Barring that, they will send you to Aruba for a week and bring you back for $229. Rix Drugs has Countess Lydia Grey facial tissue for 5 cents off.

The Coop is having a major January sale. Coop Manager Alexander Zavelle says December sales were up 10 per cent over 1968; but they have nonetheless managed to scrape up a few items to sell to you now. Among the bargains: a Denny McLain Electric Baseball Game, 20 per cent off: Christmas records, $1.98 or 5 for $9; used paperbacks, 50 per cent off (James Bond in Thunderball for 30 cents); a poster of Paul Newman in a T-shirt for a dollar or Steve McQueen in a sport coat for 50 cents; suits and sport coats (without Steve McQueen), $12-20 off: a Greek electric typewriter, down $25 to $100; Gant shirts, 40 per cent off. (A. Cabaly Limited on Brattle Street has Gant shirts for 20 per cent off.)

After some light reading at Out-of-Town Newspapers (Le Figaro for 60 cents, the Crime for a dime), you summon up your energy for a final push up Brattle. The Lodge has coats, pants and sundry for gentlemen of varying fashion persuasions up to 50 per cent off. Cardullo's food shop doesn't believe in sales ("that's for supermarkets"), but with each purchase of Bulmer's Cider you get a free horoscope book.

Woolworth's will sell you four golden-oldie 45's (like "Girl Watcher" by the OKaysions, "Forget Me Not" by Martha and the Vandelas, "To Know You Is To Love You" by Bobby Vinton, and "I'm Wondering" by Stevie Wonder) for $1.01. They're regularly three for a dollar. At Reading International, you can get a Xerox for a nickel, Xerox for a nickel, Xerox for a nickel, Xerox for a nickel ...

Kitty Haas advertised their sale on page eight of yesterday's rag. Thanks, Kitty.

There is not much on sale at Truc, but the browsing is good. However, Truc loses the prize for the most fun browsing to its new neighbors to the north, Design Research. The five-story all-glass-and-cement store is one big maze of beautiful, expensive things. DR had a sale when they moved from across the street, so there is none now.

The Gertrude Singer Fashion Studio on Church Street is having a sale.

BUT when you're through shopping what happens? You bring home your rabbit skirt or your feather duster and it's the wrong size. Or you get a tie for Joe, Bobby Vinton for Nancy, a blue chip for Dad-and Mom feels left out. And of course most sale items are non-returnable. Shopping is fun, but what can you get that the whole family can enjoy?

Well, our sources report that grass is high (no slowdown in Christmas sales) starting at $15 an ounce, but hash is a bargain at $3-5 a gram. Mescaline is up at $2.50 a throw, but acid sales have not kept apace and prices are consequently lower.

And of course, in everything, caveat emptor.