<p>Just letting you guys know, you’ll pass the exit for the Holyoke mall (called Ingleside Mall) (where BB&B is) on the way north on 91 as you head from Bradley Airport to Amherst. Exit 15! And Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and JC Penney are right there on Rt 9 as you head to campus. There’s now a Home Depot as well. But DEFINITELY have stuff paid for and sitting at the stores–the poster who said that stuff gets picked over is so right–the stores are jammed with students, and the shelves are decimated!</p>
<p>Do you think Target will be empty on August 29th? I don’t want to order anything online cause I just don’t know what I need yet.</p>
<p>Check when UMASS starts classes–they’re the biggest group coming into town.</p>
<p>I ordered lots of things from BB and B prior to my daughter’s coming. After I got there and saw what things she needed and didn’t need, I just canceled some of the items I had selected. I don’t think I had to pay for them in advance. It just reserved them.</p>
<p>I’d recommend a fan; a big one; my S got a tower fan and it has served him well; keep in mind there is no a/c in the dorms and it can be hot and/or stuffy. Don’t assume the rooms will be real cold when you get a comforter; my S finds the rooms tend to get hot.</p>
<p>Definitely a fan. D doesn’t do well in heat, so we went to Ace Hardware and bought a window fan and another fan that sat on the floor. They helped a LOT! For stuff like that, if Wal-Mart and Target are picked over, don’t forget Ace Hardware - just another bit farther from campus. D used the #3M hooks and they released well, left no marks on the walls, for her towels and robe.</p>
<p>Home depot is open as well just a few minutes from campus, almost across the street from the Target</p>