Big Bucks Time for Square Merchants

Commencement Week--it means reunion-going alumni reminiscing about the good old days and once again partaking of Camp Harvard.

It also means that thousands of alumni descend upon Cambridge ready and willing to trade their green for anything crimson.

From the viewpoint of a Harvard Square merchant, Commencement week means extra personnel, shelves of sweatshirts and hordes of people, all of which combine to make this weeklong bonanza one of the year's most lucrative seasons.

Liquor store merchants benefit as much as anyone else from the week's festivities. "It's a fairly hectic week with lots of parties," said Clifton M. Thuma '78, manager of Harvard Provision Company. Seniors begin "primarily with beer, vodka, ice, wine-coolers, and soda," said Thuma. "When Commencement week brings mom and dad in town, it's scotch, bourbon, and very good cognacs."

Of course, "champagne is the ultimate festive beverage," and at the "Pro" one can at least find a bottle to match one's personality--if not pocketbook. Of the 40 champagnes for sale, nearly 10 are said to be "Cuvee de Prestige," established brands that are distinctive and expensive.

One would be well-advised to check the prices before reaching for the wallet, however. These expensive champagnes range in price from $56 to $165.

"A lot of it goes on credit cards," Thuma said.

Commencement week is also a busy time for local hotels, but it's too late now to make reservations--most hotels start getting reservations four years in advance and are booked solid months before graduation.

The Harvard Motor House has been sold out for this week since September, 1982, said Assistant Manager Penny J. Faul. Families of some seniors have had their reservations since Freshman Week--four years ago.

For the past week people have been steadily flowing into Cambridge. "I thought it would be non-stop madness, but everyone seems to be in a pretty good mood. It's friendly," said a desk clerk at the Motor House.

Faul recalled how one family put seven kids through Harvard and stayed at the Harvard Motor House for 11 consecutive Commencements. Eventually the personnel at the hotel became so accustomed to seeing the family that a room was booked for a twelfth year automatically, even though the family hadn't requested one, Faul said.

For reunion-goers, this week is the time to stock up on Harvard paraphernalia, as local Harvard-ware store merchants will confirm.

Some of the returning alumni come back and say, "I remember you--I bought a tie from you," said one long-time Square merchant. "There's a wonderful atmosphere now. I love it. It's the busiest ten days for the summer."

"[The graduates] laugh, and they come in" to the store, said Martha A. Fallon, manager of The Harvard Shop, describing the special class shirt which reads "this shirt cost my family $63,721." By comparison, the shirt costs the graduate next to nothing, selling for a mere $6.

"I've heard [Commencement week] is going to be big," Fallon said, indicating the 20 boxes of insignia waiting to be unpacked. She said the order was "very substantial," and added that "more is on the way."

"Commencement is the busiest day of the year, I think," said a cashier at Store 24. She said that cashiers work extra shifts, and they come to work earlier than usual to prepare for the day's onslaught.

"Anything with Harvard on it we sell a lot of," said the cashier, who did not want to be identified. Seniors can buy the class T-shirt depicting a guy who looks zonked-out with the slogan "zombie cum laude."

Spokesmen for Corcorans and J. August agreed that Commencement week is among the busiest times of the year. "Hopefully sales will go up considerably," said Kelly I. Saeger, manager of J. August, adding that the favorite items this year are reverse-weave Harvard sweatshirts, crew neck shirts and the standard T-shirts.