It must be full moon season because the Big Bad Wolf has returned with the Box Sale, which has officially started since 10 May and will run until 20 May 2018 at a new venue in Petaling Jaya.
Book lovers can make their way with the pack to the Exhibition Hall of Starling Mall, Damansara Uptown, which is located at Level 5 (next to MBO Cinemas), as books from all genres are laid out for grabs!
Although the massive Big Bad Wolf sale is usually held at the end of the year, don't scoff and dismiss the Box Sale just yet, as there are around 700,000 books for sale this time!
Some of them are purportedly 'last copies' of sought-after titles, so you can bet you probably won't be able to spot - (that book you saw at the last sale, but didn't end up buying, and then you regretted it) - them again when a new shipment of books are brought in for the end of the year sale.
So to make the most of your visit and to ensure you get great value out of the Big Bad Wolf Box Sale, do heed our tips below:
1. Get your haul in trolley first, only then get the box(es)!
If you aren't sure of how the Box Sale works, well basically you would have to purchase an empty cardboard box depending on the size of your choosing (see number 5 for box options), and then fill it up with as many books as you can.
But if you can't decide if you want the Small, Big or Family box, then don't fret. You don't actually HAVE to buy the boxes first. Grab a trolley from the crew outside before you enter the hall and you can browse and pick your books. This way, you won't end up carrying a box all around the exhibition hall as it gets heavier and heavier with more added books.
Once you have confirmed your final haul in your trolley, decide on the right box size and go purchase it from the cashier!
P.S.: Pass the trolley back to your friendly BBW crew nearby. Don't just abandon the trolley and leftover books, OK?
2. Browse in an organised grid system
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There are tons of genres at the Box Sale. There are fiction, non-fiction, Malay novels, romance, sci-fi & fantasy, sports, arts and hobbies, biographies, children, young adult and more! To ensure that you spend optimal time browsing at each section, start with the row on your most left of the hall from the entrance and work your way up the row, then come back down the second last row and so on.
The first hall from the entrance has mainly all the fiction stuff, Malay novels and literature. The other hall towards the back has mostly children, young adult, sports, autobiography, arts and so on.
Since most of the piles will seem to end up looking the same after awhile, don't randomly jump sections as this might confuse you and you might end up missing out on some really good finds.
3. Leave the kids at home. (Don't bring the whole kampung lah ...)
This may sound harsh, but guys, seriously, take it into consideration? Upon our visit, we noticed a lot of families with young kids. Probably because it is a Public Holiday, or maybe because it is a shopping mall and many dropped by the sale after lunch or shopping with the fam? That seemed fine, until said kids began to get agitated and started screaming and crying, and parents had to stop what they were doing to go console or run after them.
Do remember, you are shuffling amongst a huge crowd with many loaded trolleys and heavy boxes (not to mention piles of books), and your little ones might unknowingly bump into them and get hurt. Then you have those - who as you're trying to focus on reading the titles with a sideways head tilt - come running towards you shouting, and then go running laps around the entire section for a game of tag with their other 3 siblings!
We understand that most parents are trying to get their children into the joys of reading, but unless they are little bookworm Einsteins whose presence are really needed to select the books cause they can't depend on you as a parent to pick the titles for them, then leave your kids at home. They do not know this, but they probably much rather not spend hours with you in a place filled with books and people where they have to resort to create their own form of entertainment to escape boredom.
Besides, the sale runs from 10AM to 10PM each day. Pick a suitable hour or two that you can leave the kids at home supervised, for some peaceful book shopping for the whole family.
4. Flat pack your books properly.
Oh, time for some real-life Tetris game guys! One of the rules of the Box Sale is that the books you've picked (no matter how many) must be comfortably packed in the box you purchased, and the box must be able to close properly too. Make use of every nook and cranny and try packing them a few times to make the most of your box space! Nothing should be jutting out and over-packed boxes that are misshaped won't be accepted. We find putting the hardcovers and bigger books at the bottom, and then laying the smaller ones on top is the best way to do this.
When done packing, your properly closed boxes need to be brought to the checkout counter so that a BBW crew member can seal your box.
5. Get the 'Family Tapau Pack' to save even more!
You have three options of boxes to purchase. We would love to explain more, but this infographic is pretty self-explanatory:
