Bookworms Will Love This

Almost forgot to tell you about this. Yes, I have been that (crazy) busy until I forgot to tell you about the mad Popular Bookstore sale.
Popular Bookstore is not exactly THE best kind of bookstore. But when you’re stuck here in Penang, with only this or MPH (ah, there used to be Arthur’s Books in Bukit Jambul Complex but it eventually closed down), it’s really Hobson’s choice. No choice at all.
Popular Bookstore in my opinion tries hard to compete with MPH, on many levels. Yet, I can’t help but feel Popular is too Chinese-y, if you know what I mean. It sells English and Mandarin books, but the book selections aren’t really wide. Their staff don’t really look like they know books well – they’re just working at their jobs.
Compare this to MPH. MPH is really cool because the staff (especially the ones at Gurney Walk) are friendly and go all out to help you find the book you need, with a smile. Even if they don’t have the book in store, they will ask you for the ISBN number so they can help source it for you. And I get to plonk my tired self down on a nice, comfy chair too.
You can’t do this in Popular. Their aisles are too narrow and people keep bumping into you when you’re trying to read.
What I do like about Popular is their Popular member discount card. Pay RM10 yearly and you get a card which allows you to buy any item (even stationery!) at 10% off. So for bookworms like me and my husband, it makes economical sense. RM10 is nothing compared to the tonnes of books we hoard. Plus Popular’s prices are much lower than MPH. I guess one wins some, and loses some.
Anyway, Popular is having a major sale in Penang. With discounts up to 90%. Yes, 90 percent. I think they’re trying to clear off old stock but many are still in great condition. According to their website, they have 164,000 English and Chinese titles (plus CDs too) to clear out.
When I was there on 1 April, it was like a free-for-all! Everyone was practically filling up their baskets with books! Looking at the massive crowd, I just cannot believe that Malaysians read only one (or was it two) pages a year. Recipe books were going for 99 sen. Mags and novels were going for RM5 apiece. Some were given 20% off original prices, and I found a hardcover for only RM2.90 (normal price: RM26.90). You can also find children’s books and self-help books too. You get Value Buys and discounts on top of discounts too. Incredible.
If you’re a bookworm, you would be delirious. I knew I was. I spent over two hours just drooling over the books (and making a tough decision which to buy and which to abandon…)
So don’t miss out. The sale is at Popular, Midlands One-Stop (5th Floor). From 11 am to 9.30pm daily until 17 April.