Papyrus

This is a nice outlet of the national chain. They have a good selection of their own line of stationary, gift books, and Cranes (including Vera Wang for Crane), as well as gift books and a range of other small gifts and stationary items. There wasn’t a sale table but one table had a buy one get half off of a companion purchase, which I noticed in another store recently so maybe this is something on the corporate level. This store/​location is a little smaller than some others in the area but it has a nice selection/​display going on – overall I think this store does a nice job of what space they have, etc. And please note, Cambridge also has a new rule, sales people have to ask if you — if you want a bag or not — and if you do – there is a small surcharge/​tax sort of like a bottle deposit. Just be aware – they have to ask you, etc.

I love Papyrus. Even though they are pricey, I love getting boxed card sets from here when they are on sale. This is a smaller store, but they have a wide variety of cards and gifts. All the handmade cards are super cute!

Yes, their selection is quite small, but I actually enjoyed my experience here. I was looking for a small gift bag and was able to find a few, although I wasn’t ready to throw down $ 6 on a tiny bag that is just going to be thrown away anyway. I found one for $ 3, which seemed fair enough. I could probably spend an hour in this store just looking at all of the stationary, but I made my visit quick and walked out with a few items. The associate that helped me seemed friendly too.

So expensive for the little selection they offer. I was looking for basic, plain stationary, and the only options they had were giant boxed sets for $ 18.95. The wrapping supplies seemed nice enough, and there are of course, copious cards to choose from … but if you’re really looking for something unique, don’t waste your money at this place. Try Black Ink for artistic cards with fitting phrases. Papyrus needs to step up their game!

I came in with a friend to look at baby shower invitations. The man who was helping us seemed apologetic and negative about their options from the get go, without ever getting to know our needs. He said things like «I guess you could do a custom order but they take a long time to come through» (when asked for a time frame we realized we had plenty of time), «You could do custom printing but it’s pretty expensive.»
I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Either he was embarrassed at how much things cost (or that people like us would pay that much), or he was assuming we wouldn’t want to pay that much. Either way, we left empty handed and decided to go to Paper Source in Porter Square. Paper Source was friendly and helpful and we ended up getting exactly what we needed. The staff at Papyrus seemed «nice» enough, albeit with places they’d rather be, but I’ll probably never go back unless I find myself in Harvard and really need a greeting card.

Papyrus is literally my favorite store in Harvard Square. I could easily spend over an hour just browsing all of the cards and stationery (I sometimes even drag my friends to look at cards with me…). I agree that the store is pretty expensive (I blow a ton of money on the store) but everything I buy is incredibly high quality and very much appreciated by the recipient of the card or gift.
There is that study that was done that shows that the best use of your money is spending it on other people – what better place to do that than at Papyrus?
Papyrus may be pricey, the service may not always be perfect, but it’s been there with me through so many important and defining life moments – my friends’ birthdays, my parents’ anniversaries, Christmas. And for that, I love it.

The elder woman who works there is so rude! She yells at the customers if they took any picture or spoke with their friend via FaceTime! Today I was there and she had an embarrassing behavior toward a visitor!
As the other said the customer service is awful!!!

Papyrus has some really high quality stationary. Their cards are so artistic that explains why everything’s so freaking expensive. So even though I like their products I can easily spend a week’s worth of grocery here on a few things. The Harvard Square location is, for lack of a better word, cozy. But the staff here are friendly, greeting you when you come through the door.
I generally stop by during the holidays or on special occasion. As I stated their cards generally run about $ 8 each and at that price I could get lunch from several moderately price restaurants in the area or pick up 2 – 3 cards from the local CVS. Sometimes they do offer discounts and coupons but usually it will just be a buy 3 get 1, which at those prices don’t really curb your spending. But there’s no lack of pretty and shiny things here for you to explore.

I generally love Papyrus, but you have to be careful about the prices. While a few cards may be prices at $ 3.95, some venture up to $ 6.95, or even higher. For a single card! For an important occasion, and just the right card, I might be willing to do that, but it’s something to be aware of, especially when you start buying more than one at a time. The «buy 3 get 1 free» deal isn’t such a deal when it’s still $ 20 for those 4 cards (my experience at Valentine’s Day). The boxed sets are nice, though, and maybe even worth the price. If you pick through you can get some better deals.
I have had decent experiences with customer service here, though I have only been into this store 3 times in the last year or so. No complaints.
Beautiful cards, though. :) If I buy something here, it’s a card I am proud to send!

The customer service at this chain was dismal at best — and it looks as though I’m not the only one who thinks so. I am a calligrapher, and was on my way to a calligraphy consultation, and figured I’d stop in to see who they deal with when referring brides to calligraphers.
Well, after waiting patiently for them to acknowledge that I wanted to ask a question, (they had to yell at some tourists to not take pictures in the store, first) I asked about their policy with calligraphers. I got the nastiest response and disgusted look that all I could do was stare them down until they gave me a better answer. Really, a simple «We source that out.» in a pleasant exchange would have been fine.
Needless to say, I am never going to refer brides to this store in the future. Brides can save themselves some aggravation by dealing with ANYONE else without a holier-​than-​thou attitude. DO NOT SHOP HERE.

I am a huge fan of stationary, greetings cards, and unique gifts. Papyrus has all of these things!
I have always found the service to be good and the staff have offered me some great ideas for gifts and ordering specialty stationary.

Papyrus would be too rich for my blood, except they’ve got themselves a dank sale rack. Enter store, look left, and you’re all set. Don’t even venture towards the back unless you want to walk out $ 45 later with five cards in your hand. It’s never been busy when I’ve gone in (mostly in the evenings) and though the sales staff tends to hover a little more than I’d like, for the most part they are fine. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to gripe about either. Well done Papyrus: you possess a truly noteworthy sale rack.

Just chiming in on the horrible service complaints… yep, the people who work here seem to think they are really above serving customers at a local card store. I’ve browsed here on several occasions and left because I noticed them acting catty about the customers behind their backs in a way that just seems unprofessional and rude. I don’t know why the management doesn’t do anything about it… maybe the $ 5 profit they make per card seems to make up for all the business they lose because of their dismal service? C’mon, as if working in a little card & gift store really exposes you to the worst and most embittering aspects of human nature…

I love Papyrus in general because I can spend hours looking at cards and stationary and notebooks and gift wrap all that fun stuff. I cannot however go to this Papyrus. Its very small and always busy and there always seems to just be one cashier at all times. I’ve actually put back items and walked out because the wait was too long on more than one occasion.

When this placed opened last fall (or was it two years ago? three? the years do run together…), I though, interesting, a Christmas card store. I wonder what they’ll sell after Christmas. Not being familiar with the chain, I was pleasantly surprised to see they’re a general stationery store with a focus on greeting cards. It’s a fun store to look around, if you’re into looking at cards – which I am, at least around Christmastime. It’s always a nice looking store, whether it be decorated for Christmas or Easter or Mother’s Day. The employees seem nice enough, though I feel a little pressured when they greet me as I enter or say good-​bye as I leave. (I’ve gotten good at suddenly leaving without them having predicted it, so they can’t call to me.)
All that said, I’ve rarely bought anything here. They have a limited selection of non-​holiday (i.e., birthday, thank you, etc.) cards, and they’re even more expensive than Hallmark. Boxed Christmas cards are better, and fun to look at, but still kind of expensive. Some of their gifts are unique and perhaps worth the high prices. They’re one of few places around that sell seals and sealing wax – but being in Harvard Square, you can get those for less money at Bob Slate’s.
I guess my summary is: I have fun looking around, but don’t buy much.