In today's Star, under StarBiz http://biz.thestar.com.my/bizweek/ "Popular opens sixth outlet in Penang", area manager of Popular Book Co, Leong Li Ching said that she "hoped the strong focus on customer service would help its second flagship store in the country remain competitive." I have been to this latest new Popular outlet in Gurney Plaza a few times since it was opened and I must say that like most other bookshops in this country, Popular finds it necessary to wrap their books, though not all, in plastic. I find this most annoying and "uncivilised". If you go to Barnes & Noble in USA, you will not find their books wrapped in plastic. As a matter of fact you could sit in their coffee-shop and browse through a magazine or a book at leisure and at the end of an hour or two or even more if you walked away without buying anything you would not be burdened with a guilt feeling that you had put their magazine or book at risk of being soiled. I don't understand how Popular Book Co can hope to "bank on its customer-oriented strategy to draw shoppers" when they adopt the anti-shopper attitude of wrapping up their books in plastic. Back in the 90's, Popular Book Co would have a browsing copy for customers to look through at leisure before deciding whether to make the purchase or not. Now that their books are wrapped up in plastic no such browsing copy is made available. Why doesn't Popular Book Co set the trend and refrain from the uncivilised practice of wrapping up their books in plastic? How do bookshops expect customers to fork out a hundred ringgit or more for a book when they can't see its contents. It's like buying a pig in a poke!
2 comments:
You can ask the service staff to unwrap the books if you wish to browse through a copy. I always do that, whether I'm in MPH, Popular, or Kinokuniya. So far I've always been met with willingness when I asked them to unwrap the books.
irene
www.ireneQ.com
I remember once going to MPH and was very dissapointed to see books in bad condition. And I can't help but wonder why don't they wrap their books to protect them from customers who mishandle them? It would make sense to do that because they are selling it not loaning to people to read like rent bookshops. I also hate it when people open book so wide that it causes a crease on the spine. Don't they understand that it is not theirs to treat that way until they buy it? How would the customer who wants to buy the book but it is in that condition? This is the Malaysian way of handling books most of the time I'm afraid. I for one prefer my books to be brand new, thus wrapped and protected. I applaud bookshops that wrap them.
And they are NOT uncivilised!
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