A Visit To The Bookstore
Call me selfish, but when I go to any bookstore, I sure don't like to compete space with screaming kids. And I sure don't like to see kids leaving the books that they've been reading lying on the floor or wherever they choose to leave it instead of putting them back on the shelf or least at the carts so that the staff can properly put it back later.I treat any bookstore like a library, I guess (OK, except for the fact that instead of lending, I fork out money for the books). I don't like to see books being mishandled, and I sure don't like to see parents not blinking an eye when their children defaced a book or take any toys attached to a book without paying. A visit to Mid Valley's MPH is not particularly enjoyable because of the reason above and Borders is always my choice.
I don't mind kids enjoying a book session, talking and generally having fun in the store, it's the kids whom their parents decide to turn the store as a free way to put their kids in while they themselves went shopping, kids not interested in books but rather making noise and kids who generally don't respect others that I have issues with.
One time there was this little girl who stand in front of Raimie, not budging despite us telling her to sit down and wait, because she wants to read the book that Raimie was reading. Hello? Didn't your parents teach you manners and sharing? Of course, she was with her maid, and the maid just didn't say anything to the girl.
Enough ranting.
I love going to a bookstore, since there are no libraries nearby the place I work or live. Well, none in walking distance or a train trip anyway. I read voraciously and I hope Raimie grows up to have the same liking too. We bought a lot of books for him, not only Ultraman books, you know! While I grew up reading Enid Blyton's and Dr Doolittle books, I don't think he will like the same books as I did. He does have Noddy books though, the one I bought and read to them when he was in my tummy! :-)
I love going to bookstores but just dislike some of the people who go there. I hate buying books or magazines which are soiled, with dog-ears etc. And I especially dislike the way people treat boolstores as if it's a library and start unwrapped books to browse.
ReplyDelete@ECL,
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of free reading! But I do buy books there, Scout's Honour! :D
It's one thing to unwrap a book, but please do not leave those plastic cover lying around too. The staff there can help unwrap and wrap back the books for you.
my kids and i enjoy visiting the bookstores too. from story books to stationery craze, we could spend hours at the book stores.
ReplyDeleteI agree..ppl should handle books properly esp in stores where one is allowed to read w/o the obligation of buying and likewise, children should be taught too.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a bookworm growing up and bookstores were my favourite haunt!
I love going to the bookstores! Because I love to read and read! I also hate it when people mishandle the books. I don't buy books that are soiled.
ReplyDeleteI like Borders but I don't normally buy books there cos they don't wrap the books! Usually if I find a nice book at Borders, I will remember the title and buy it at MPH instead. Also because I have the MPH card.
Borders should do like what MPH did ie. only leave one book of each title unwrapped for people to browse. The rest should be wrapped to avoid all the mishandlings.
Sometimes I also feel guilty with all the free reading now that they have the comfortable seats and aircon but I think I buy books that I really like even if I finish reading it at the bookstore.
@life ramblings,
ReplyDeleteMy son is not in the stationery craze or even the stickers craze (lucky, we would've spent a fortune on that otherwise!)
@MBL,
me too! I used to spend most of my school holidays cooped up in Berita Bookstore in Shah Alam. :D Lucky for me the staff there never ask me to leave even when I sat there for hours. :D
I agree - people should treat books (and other things too) that are not theirs with respect. You wouldn't buy a dog eared book, so why should you cause a book to be one?
@foongpc,
I'm like you too! Borders is so nice for a place to sit and browse books, but MPH has more selections (I don't have an MPH card). I agree that books should be wrapped to avoid mishandling but if almost all their books are wrapped like at Kinokuniya(and wrapped so tightly too) that you can't find one book to browse, then it's no fun being in the bookstore and I might as well buy them online. (But the Japanese Books section there are nice)
lina, I agree Kinokuniya is too strict with wrapping all their books. That's why you won't find me there! But it's different at Kinokuniya in Singapore. Over there, they don't wrap up all the books! But one thing Kinokuniya is good at is they normally have books you can't find at both MPH or Borders. (like your favourite Japanese books?)
ReplyDeleteI think MPH do the right thing, leave one book unwrapped and the rest of the same title books wrapped up. Then customers can still get to read and buy a brand new book.
Hey, you should consider getting a MPH card. They have sales twice a year for members only at good prices!