Any
place with dirt cheap books is a haven for bibliophiles. Last month, I was able
to attend two warehouse sales for books. The one is Books for Less in Pasig wherein ALL titles were sold for
just P20 (less than USD1). I felt disappointed though because we arrived in the
afternoon and most of the books were already “leftovers” – either the pages are
ripped or stained. Through my boyfriend’s relentless digging in the boxes, I
ended up with 11 decent storybooks.
National
Bookstore’s annual warehouse sale is also reminiscent of Hunger Games. All the books
were in mint condition. I was able to purchase all these and a bunch of
storybooks (and cable ties) for less than a thousand bucks.
Here
are some tips when going to a massive book sale event:
Bibliophile
Tip #1: You
won’t be shimmying down the aisles so wear comfortable clothes and closed
shoes. Wear a mask too if you’re sensitive to dust. You wouldn’t want allergies
to spoil your shopping. Also, manicured nails and book sales don’t go well
together.
Bibliophile
Tip #2: Since
the spaces are narrow, leave bulky bags at home. Bring ecobags for your
purchases.
Bibliophile
Tip #3: Rely
on water and wet wipes for immediate comfort once you’re done hoarding.
Bibliophile
Tip #4: Look
for hidden or uncrowded shelves because these commonly contain first-rate
finds. During the Books for Less event, I scored the decent books by searching
under the piles of books placed on the table.
Bibliophile
Tip #5: Be
gentle with the books. It’s saddening how some shoppers scan and chuck books if
the blurb didn’t appeal to them. I understand how tight the competition is but
the book that you have disregarded might be a gem to someone.
Bibliophile
Tip #6: Let a
friend queue for you and vice versa. Lines can be snakelike and to save time,
my friend stayed in the queue with her purchases and allowed me to roam the
warehouse for more books. When I’m done, she did the same. This is only okay if you’re just
two and you’re not buying ten boxes of books. Surely
you don’t want to upset the one behind you.
Bibliophile
Tip #7: Tag
along a fellow book hoarder. It’s not ideal to bring along someone who’s not as
excited as you. He or she will probably find you crazy for your willingness to
get exhausted for that coveted “80% OFF” mark on books.
