Comments on: MPH And Other Mainstream Bookshops Boycott Harry Potter Due To Outrageous Discounts

By: Shishiza

Shishiza — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:36:49 +0000

I don’t have Tesco or Carrefour in my town. Of course no MPH, Kinokuniya or Borders either. The only bookshop which always has HP book here is Popular. I really don’t mind spending RM100+ for this book although that’ll be more than 10% or my monthly salary. I’m a member there so I’ll get the 10% discount anyway… and I’ve spent more than a thousand over the years there. So when I went there on 21st July to buy a copy (with RM200 ready in my pocket since I don’t know the retail price) and found out that they don’t want to sell it, I asked them why… but they just said that it’s an order from their higher management. So I went home and ordered it from Kinokuniya Online instead, along with 6 other books by Robin Hobb (which I can’t find in any bookshop here). I only found out the reason of it the next day. I was very upset when I read the news. Did they expect fans to travel a few hundred miles so that they can obtain a copy from Tesco or Carrefour? If they’re angry with the hypermarkets, why were they punishing their faithful customers? If they think that readers will wait for them, they’re totally wrong. I just felt sorry for those parents who went to Popular on that day, dragged by their kids to buy HP books but forced to go home empty handed.

By: eh

eh — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:28:31 +0000

I went to Borders at 430am to try get free copy from the Sun, but kelam kabut and not aggressive enough of course cannot get, so consolation is TESCO’S! haha.. i don’t care where i get my book so long i get to read it! i got it from a trolley anyway lol, and heard the manager trying to plead with customers to buy other stuff. im not falling for the loss leader thing haha. Seriously though, i don’t know what the big deal is with the hypermarkets, like i bought a copy of the 5th book at rm10 cheaper in Carrefour and not much people made hooha over hypermarts being able to sell HP books then. its like rm40 cheaper, compared to Kino who give 30% discount, hypermarts also end up being around rm10 cheaper.

By: luzzio

luzzio — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:38:52 +0000

the book was not shrink wrapped, there was no plastic cover.

And yes, I paid 109.90 for it.

and your point is?

By: kendo

kendo — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:57:06 +0000

Hey hey, I am back but not to light up anymore flames in this blog post.

I am back to say congratulations that MPH (and the other bozo bookstores) finally admit to their childishness and will start selling your beloved Harry Potter book at your beloved RM109.90 !!!

So there, no more painful hard lights and steel racks coz your Harry Potter book will now sit on nice brown wooden shelves with nice cozy soft light shining on them. And yeah, not forgetting the shrink wrap, to give you the pleasure of ripping apart the shrink wrap and finally reaching orgasm when you can smell the pages of the book.

Nice. Enjoy the smell of your RM109.90 book. Ooh, you preordered it. So then you can’t pay RM109.90? Or can you?

By: luzzio

luzzio — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:11:25 +0000

waiting for your rebuttal.

By: luzzio

luzzio — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:03:09 +0000

uh, first of all, my sister and I live in a very modest terrace house. we don’t own german cars, and we definitely aren’t using top notch handphones either. we rarely eat outside, and we love mamak. my personal favorite food is chicken rice. it costs about 4 ringgit a plate.

when i was young, I used to follow my mother to wet markets. did the same when our financial status(yes, we used to be in a rut) improved to Giant. now she shops at carrefour. what’s the point of having more money if we don’t use it for varying satisfactory factors? clearly, as rich as anyone could ever get, I hardly believe that they’d be happy having to purchase 1000 kangkong’s from a wet market than 1 stalk at air conditioned carrefour.

so what if we don’t mind paying that little extra for comfort? seriously. so what? is it our problem if your mom has to go to wet market and ours doesn’t?

I don’t believe you honestly think that we’re rich. I think you’re just a lifeless brat that has nothing better to do.

anyway,

#1, the hypermarkets were OBVIOUSLY selling it as a loss leader approach. I don’t think you know what that means, but it’s ok, I understand your low brain capacity.

#2, it(the price cutters) was criticized that instead of cutting prices on the book, it should have done so for more essential goods like rice/food instead. Since, well, poor people REALLY need to get food at cheaper prices, right?

#3 And yeah, so what if I am willing to pay an extra rm40 just to get it at the bookstore? the chances of getting the book at tesco would be quite low (besides the fact that I already placed an order for it at MPH like, 4 months ago)

#4 About the poor? Instead of reading harry potter they should be working to get their asses out of the rut they’re in.

I don’t really care whether the price was cut or not. rm40 is too insignificant in between 2 years.

jo: lol I couldn’t have put it better. and I’ll leave the business ethics to you. Nice to see that little short biography about our family life. hohohohohoh.

I remember working at the nail salon and only earning a paltry amount of RM35 a day. It was tiring, I acknowledge that. Unless the person is our father, no one else should make noise how we choose to voice our opinions about the way we spend our allowances. I’m not saying the book is so much more amazing just because it’s RM109.90. Just that it’s in the bookstore with all its hype and it’s events.. that’s the feeling that one would get.
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By: Izad

Izad — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:49:24 +0000

Jolene, I get where you’re coming from. Some people don’t mind paying more if we can afford it, and would rather buy books from our favourite bookstores (myself included). But why is MPH snubbing their customers for someone else’s fault? That’s what annoys me the most. They have issues.. take it with the hypermarts. Don’t drag customers into the mud too. Price war or not, MPH has basically slapped their loyal customers in the face for something that they didn’t do. I wish they hadn’t taken such a controversial step in handling this issue. I’m sad and disappointed since MPH has been my favorite bookstore since forever. But now I’m just mad at how they’re treating their customers. Oh well.. just my two cents. Hope you’ll enjoy the book once you get it.

jo: yeap, thanks..and also because bookstores arrange their books accordingly and it looks more attractive and all. I DID think that MPH and the rest were shooting themselves in the foot. But are they selling it yet? I mean could they only be avoiding the first day of sales?
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By: kendo

kendo — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:23:37 +0000

“The price war in the sale of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows novel will benefit the people, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal.

“If there is a drop in price that the suppliers can afford, this is good and is not violating the law. ”

WELLLLLL IF THIS IS NOT A DAMN HARRY POTTER BOOK AND TESCO IS SELLING IT FOR RM30 WHILE MPH IS SELLING IT FOR RM100 NOBODY WOULD FUCKING CARE!!!

Come on folks… come to light. MPH and those stupid bookstores are just milking your damn money. You don’t see them complaining about other books which are sold cheaper elsewhere!! DO YOU?

Now… BORDERS are still selling it. Coz they are not stupid cheapskates unlike those MAJOR BOOKSTORES KONON!!!

Now go on and get your shrinked wrap RM109.90 book and enjoy unwrapping it in your Mercedes Benz and Beemers.

jo: look, if you want to vent so much, please get your own blog.

And please don’t shout so much on my blog. It’s damn offending even if I can’t understand what you’re trying to say. Just the size of the fonts you know.. very big, sakit mata.

I don’t have a Benz. I don’t even have a car. So don’t imply that I am rich. I am a girl with an allowance which is probably no different than yours but at least I know what I want that will make me happy.
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By: estefan

estefan — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 07:02:31 +0000

Bookstores NOT at fault. Book prices are set by distributors and publishers, not bookstores. The RM 69.90 offered by the hypermarts is BELOW cost price. This is not healthy discounting but predatory pricing which disrupts the book industry and their businesses. Genuine bookstores are being made to look like they’re greedy and profiteering in this situation, which they’re not. They are right in not selling this book. The public and consumers need to understand their stand…
They should continue going to the hypermarts to get the book at RM 69.90… IF THEY CAN FIND ANY…

jo: yeah the reason behind their gimmick is understandable. But i don’t know why would they want to make enemies with MPH and the other bookstores. i know little about the world of business…but i don’t think you should go all out to offend other businesses(and they weren’t even competitors to begin with.) I felt that their advertisement in the papers was most obnoxious. they *HAD* to have a small print of bookstores selling it for RM109.90.
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By: estefan

estefan — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 06:55:42 +0000