My cousin Dianne and I love bargain book hunting; the cheaper, the better. Our favorite haunt is Book Sale, a bargain book store chain with lots of branches across the metro and even in the provincial malls. No week goes by without at least one visit to a Book Sale branch (or else we suffer from withdrawal symptoms), so we pretty much have our own system of trawling through the wonderful jumble of books for bargain treasures.
We were gabbing on the phone last Friday when we got the crazy idea of hopping through various Book Sale outlets across the MRT-EDSA line to go bargain book hunting. We set a generous budget of P500, roped Flipper friend Marie into joining us, and set off on Saturday morning for our book hunt.
We plotted out several stations on the MRT-3 Line that had Book Sale branches.
We went to six branches in all: Farmer’s Plaza and Shopwise in Cubao, EDSA Central and Star Mall along Shaw Boulevard, AlphaLand in Magallanes and Makati Cinema Square along Pasong Tamo. Originally we included the Megamall branch (in between Ortigas and Shaw Stations) but we were so exhausted after the first leg that we decided to bypass it.
I kept well under the ceiling budget because it wasn’t a good time to go Book Sale hopping — the stores were freshly stocked with multiple copies of certain titles, not yet marked down, indicating a new shipment still in circulation (in a month or so, we bet they’ll be marked down :D) so there weren’t as many bargain books on hand.
I got five books and some nice stationery, Dianne got twice the number of books I did, while Marie steadfastly bought just the one book (originally she swore she wouldn’t buy anything!), but we all still managed to have a lot of fun.
Here, some photos from our book hunt:
Here’s Dianne with her first batch of books
I got this nifty stationery set for P40!
Marie, making her way to another Book Sale branch
Another plushie book for my collection!
Dianne, engrossed in a culinary magazine
Marie and her Borges
A fluffy murder mystery and another Eloise book for my collection
Weary bookhunters having their steak!
And the last of my loot: a hardcover Madeleine L’Engle and a book on French words.
Bargain book hunting is always fun, whether you bring home one book or ten! We’re planning another book hunt, maybe next month, in another part of the metro (SM Manila – Rob Place – Pedro Gil – Times Plaza – Harrison Plaza) — holler if you want to join us! :)
Looks like fun! I’m-a-hollerin’! I hope to join you next time. :)
Patti! Sige will text you next time we go book hunting. After Dianne takes her board exams, maybe.
Another comment from MomofThree, sent via email (anyone else having trouble commenting? — let me know):
How fun! I know the thrill of getting bargain books. My local library (they have a book store of books that people donated) has a $4 book bag sale every 1st Sat. of the month. All you can fit in a grocery bag is yours! This month I got my prized book …Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley.
Great site you have here. I like that I get to see part of the Philippines through your eyes.
Take good care,
Jinky @booksthattugtheheart.blogspot.com
Sometimes the outlet on Commonwealth Avenue (in the new Shop Wise Plaza) also has some good books-I found a collection of the short stories of Kate Chopin there-but is it not on the train route at all
Hey Mel! I haven’t been to the ones out there, hehe, as I’m based in Makati. What’s good about Book Sale though, is how the stock goes around the stores. And occasionally there’s that one I’ve-struck-gold copy :D
Blooey! What fun you had! BookSale is my fave haunt, too, but we have only two here in Bacolod. And I don’t know anyone who would gladly go hunting with me. So book buying for me is usually a solitary activity. Boo hoo hoo!
“No week goes by without at least one visit to a book Sale branch (or else we suffer from withdrawal symptoms)…”
I agree! I can’t live without BookSale! It’s integral to my mall visits. Ha, ha!
Wait, I’ve only been to one! SM Bacolod and where else? :)
Must check the other one out next time!
Oops, sorry….I think I hit the submit button one too many. :(
Erased the duplicate :) No prob
I’ve cut back on book buying & usually just visit Booksale once every beginning of the month – the one in SM Manila and the one inside Merriam & Webster in Morayta are the most convenient to me. Hope to join you guys when you hit the branches here in Manila (P.Gil?)!
Cecille! Sige will let you know next time. And when are we going to Recto?!?
Hi Sumthinblue! This is also my adventure! Hindi kaya nagkasabay tayo kahapon sa Booksale Farmers? :) When I have the money ganyan din ang gawa ko, take the LRT and visit the Booksale branches. I usually hunt for Children’s books and YA books particularly the Caldecott and Newberry medal winners.
Yesterday at Farmers I was able to buy 4 children’s books (2 caldecott medal & 2 honor medal). Yung isa signed copy pa!
Mabuhay ang Booksale! :)
Hello Philyoh! Bihira ako umabot sa Farmers, but I do the rounds of the Makati branches, as well as Harrison Plaza, MOA and Rob Ermita.
I do collect Caldecotts also, pero super kuripot ako. I only buy a picture book over P100 when I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t get it. Hehe did you get the signed Flotsam? I got it a couple weeks ago at Cash and Carry. Marami ata in stock.
The other BookSale is in Robinson’s, Bacolod. More selections here than in the SM branch. :)
Wow, sana ako din may kasama sa mga Booksale book-hunts ko. I’ve done something like this last last month, I visited their stores at Magallanes, Edsa Central, and SM Megamall. By the way I love Madeleine L’ Engle and her “A Wrinkle in Time” quartet. :P
Come with us next time! Will let you know.
I’ve only read A Wrinkle in Time, I hope to read the quartet and this book in the coming months.
I love bargain book hunting!
I am happy I got Flotsam, I just love David Weisner books! I also found Three Pigs at Booksale Edsa Central.
Do you also go to ukay-ukay shops? Some of them have books, like the one in Cubao near the post office. Doon ko nabili Where the Wild Things Are for only Ph25!
Yup, we went to MSM last Saturday :)
David Wiesner’s Tuesday is awesome, too :)
Ang saya naman nyan. Last year nag book huntingdin ako na mag isa May hinahanap ako na certain book na dadalhin ko sa trip ko. Nga start ako from Ayala-The Fort-Market Market-Shangrila-Megamall- Trinoma- SM north. Pero di ko pa din nakita yun book na hinahanap ko.
Hey Ray-Ann, join us next time!!!
Too bad about the book you were looking for, but I bet you took home plenty others!
OMG! I cannot believe you where able to visit so many stores at a time. It’s absolutely amazing! Seems like such a fun and trying day.
Hahaha, that’s how addicted we are to books
Wow great find, Marie!
and she said she wouldn’t buy anything! :D
while asking google where are those booksale branches , i found this blog — and nakaka-envy ang book hunting niyo. I love reading books, i usually read leadership books, IT or computer science related books, few of novels (investigatory), philosophy at basta lang may mabasa.