Flooding the Late-Night Munchie Market

Look out Store 24, you've got competition.

A new 24-hour convenience store called Christy's opened on Mt. Auburn St. on last month, and it just might steal some of the traditional late-night haunt's business.

Christy's, which is in the Garage Location formerly occupied by the Hooper-Ames furniture store, boasts five aisles of food to Store 24's three.

By keeping two or three registers open at all times, Christy's manager says he hopes to avoid the long lines which frequently plague Store 24. "We try to offer premium products at a good value and give good service," says Mark Eichenbaum, manager of the Harvard Square Christy's.

Both stores gear their merchandise toward the needs of late-night crammers. Stationery supplies and munchies ranging from nacho chips and picante sauce to ice cream and soda make up the great majority of the stock.

Store 24 carries seven kinds of "Almost Home" cookies at $1.79 a bag and 15 flavors of Pop Tarts at $1.59 a box, according to an informal comparison. By contrast, Christy's carries only two kinds of Almost Home cookies for $1.99 and five flavors of Pop Tarts at $1.69 per box.

Both stores cater to ice cream lovers, carrying popular gourmet brands like Ben and Jerry's, Haagen Dazs, and Steve's. Although Christy's carries seven brands to Store 24's six, Store 24's prices were on average 10 cents lower.

Both stores charge $4.39 for Smith-Corona typwriter ribbons, but Store 24 charges 30 cents less for "Liquid Paper" than Christy's does.

Christy's has the larger selection of magazines, housewares and cleaning equipment, but Store 24 is the only place a desperate student can get those oh-so-crucial Cliff's Notes.

Comparisons aren't completely apt, because Christy's newest store is only about 70 percent completed. In October, the Mt. Auburn store will bring a new twist to late-night snacking when it opens a full-line deli and produce section that promises to rival White Hen Pantry's Sandwich Works.

The Christy's in Harvard Square is just one of 86 stores in a chain. The first Christy's opened in the Brockton area and the company has expanded throughout the Boston area. "We've been looking for the proper Harvard Square location for two and a half years," says Eichenbaum.

According to both store managers, it's too early to tell whether Christy's has taken business away from Store 24. "We'll know better when Harvard is back in session," says Store 24 manager Jake F. McAvoy.

Store 24 presently has an edge because most shoppers already know it's there. "I got in the habit of coming here when I was at Harvard Summer School, [and] I keep coming back," explains Store 24 patron Joel H. Friedman, an MIT undergraduate.

However, Eichenbaum says that the future looks rosy for the Mt. Auburn St. store. "People have received us very well," he says.

"We had as successful an opening as any store in the chain, and we did some incredible business during the 350th," he says.

Both stores have encountered difficulties with hiring, a common problem in a state like Massachusetts which has a low unemployment rate. "It's very hard to attract--let alone keep--good help," McAvoy says.

Harvard students longing to leap into the gap should be advised that Christy's pays a base rate of $4.25 an hour, while Store 24 pays $5.00 an hour.