How the Coop Copes

If you're watching the latest Madonna video on MTV, or catching the ESPN sports update, don't be surprised when you see an advertisement for that Harvard Square haven of toothpaste and textbooks--the Coop.

Advertising on cable television is only part of what the Harvard Cooperative Society is doing to gear up for the holiday crush o, customers at its six Boston-area stores. Officials in the Harvard Square headquarters say they're expecting 50 percent more people this month than in Novermber--largely because in the month before Christmas the store will be open a total of 109 extra hours, including every Sunday.

And judging from shopper turnout so far, they say that for sales holiday season '84 will be even bigger than holiday season '83. "The economy's better and people are feeling optimistic and buying larger ticket items," says Sales Promotion Director Sandra M. Pochapin.

Pochapin adds that since the Square construction--which left a gaping hole on the Coop's front doorstep--is now all but complete, the store "doesn't have the image problem we felt we had last year."

The Coop last holiday season hired a double-decker bus to shuttle people from other parts of Cambridge to its Square location because store officials feared subway construction was creating traffic and general image problems that were keeping shoppers away. The store will not need to hire the bus this year.

Instead, it will stick to traditional in-house festivities. Santa Claus will make a guest appearance the Sunday before Christmas, and assorted local choirs and musical groups will sing, ring bells and play jazz guitar in the Coop's mezzanine and men's clothing department.

In addition, the store's facade is sporting new decorations this year and for the first time Christmas music is being piped out to both sidewalks. The Coop also has sent out 167,000 copies of its mail order Christmas catalog to members and non-members alike.

Although Pochapin says that " September is the Coop's Christmas" because of the back-to-school book rush, the Christmas season comes in a close second and draws a lot of members who don't shop there on a regular basis.

Pochapin says that to handle the rush--especially on Saturdays and the 10 days before Christmas--the Coop this year hired 200 temporary sales clerks, 150 of whom work in the Square store. In addition, the Coop has hired extra security help to combat the always "embarrassing" problem of shoplifting which gets worse during the holiday rush, says General Manager James A. Argeros. Those additions push the staff to 60 percent above normal in the month before Christmas, he adds.

Over in the stationery department, buyer Philip A. Bakirakis says that all day he does nothing but restock greeting cards--the Coop offers more than 400 running feet of card displays in 1500 different holidays styles. The store also keeps more than 2300 rolls of gift wrap on the floor at one time, and for those who just can't wield scissors and Scotch tape the Coop offers free gift wrapping for purchases of $15 or more.

And for audiophiles, the Coop is boasting the newest in Panasonic laser disc players--at last count 10 of the nation's 100 units had been beamed to the mercantile hub of Harvard Square, Argeros said.

What attracts shoppers to the Coop? Besides their loyalty (and their annual 9-plus percent rebate), Pushpin says one of the Coop's biggest draws is its near monopoly on items sporting The Big Crimson 'H.' And to satisfy Harvard-hungry clothes shoppers, officials in the insignia department estimate they ordered 10,000 extra sweatshirts, hats, scarves and other quasi-official Harvard wardrobe essentials for holiday shoppers.