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

Posted on by Jolene

no. No. NO. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ugh. This makes me so sick. But thank god they will ‘honour pre-orders’.

Apparently, major hypermarkets will be selling the Harry Potter book for about RM69.90 where else the mainstream bookstores are selling it at Rm109.90.

Harry Potter is a phenomenon. You don’t put a discount on phenomenons.

I can just imagine the Harry Potter book sitting on the steel shelves under harsh lightings of your typical hypermarket, it makes me feel so sick. I never buy anything from hypermarkets except food because all other purchases from it doesn’t say a lot for its style.(though I buy some pyjamas and undies from hypermarkets.) The Harry Potter book just won’t be as classy as a Harry Potter book bought from a proper bookshop.

One of my friend’s dad is a big boss in MPH and apparently they withdrew the sale of Harry Potter books from all branches nationwide. OH MY GOD.

Do you know the feeling of buying a Harry Potter book from a bookshop with its wooden shelves and soft lightings, holding it in its taut plastic wrapping as you line up behind the long queue of eager Potter fans, allowing the weight of the book to sink into your fingers? It’s all part of the magic.

When you get into the car, you rip the plastic wrapper and inhale the smell of the new book and indulge yourself in the opening of the book, getting lost in the world of Harry Potter via Number 4, Privet Drive.

Competition can get so ugly.

I refuse to buy my Harry Potter book from anywhere but proper book shops.

I am a huge fan and I will pay my Rm109.90. (at least my brother will, heh. I will have to wait till I get home to pry it off his fingers.)

GRRRRRRRRRRR. PLAY FAIR!!!!!!!!!! Don’t spoil the magic for us!

p/s: I will track the IPs of whoever who dare to reveal spoilers on my blog and kick your ass so hard that shitting will be a bitch. I’ve been trying my best to avoid all spoilers. I’m very proud of myself.

34 thoughts on “MPH And Other Mainstream Bookshops Boycott Harry Potter Due To Outrageous Discounts”

  1. Yep. Too bad. An even that so many people were looking forward to … something so exciting, magical, fun and full of anticipation … has become a victim of poor business judgment.

    Well said, we indeed can’t put a discount on a phenomenon and the magic.

    I will only buy from MPH, Popular, Harris & Times. And if they are not selling, I am not buying. The magic has already almost vanished.

    jo: yah i’m angry coz the hypermarkets are taking the magic away from me!(and all the other fans) …erm, i think MPH and the rest will still sell after the first day hype has died down. they can’t be that stupid to incur such a great loss right?
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  2. what so fuss about this all magic phenomenon stuff?? after all it is just a book..so let us be as kiasu as always, having chances to buy cheaper price is always the best option, so don’t be such a retard

    jo: *childish voice on the verge of tears* YOU don’t be such a retard!

    Hahaha, if you’re not a fan, you will never understand what I’ve written. So don’t try to comprehend it.
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  3. I regret pre-ordering from popular as Borders are giving more discounts, brining the price down to RM5x.xx and free starbucks b’fast…

    jo: damn competitive man. i wonder what is it like overseas?
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  4. A while back, I read people were fighting to reduce the price of books. They claim that the high price of books is one of the factors for Malaysians are not reading much. I’m scratching my head trying to understand the “magic”. Sorry, I’m not a fan of books (and HP). 😛

    jo: eheh it’s okay:) as a fan who has waited outside KLCC at 5am for the fifth book, you cannot imagine how crazy the crowd can get to run up the five-six floors of KLCC right up to Kinokuniya(I nearly fell over and died from exhaustion) and sit there until 7am. lol it was madness i tell you. part of the fun is getting the book the second half is reading the book. 🙂 and the last part of the fun is to avoid spoilers and try to spoil it for your friends. hahaha. 
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  5. sʞooqǝ ǝǝɹɟ ɹoɟ ƃuıʇıɐʍ ɯɐ I
    ʎƃuıʇs ɯɐ ı ǝsnɐɔǝq

    jo: it’s okay, we’re all stingy to a certain extent:) I want to learn how to type backwards! hahaha… at first i thought it was Thai you know. 
    –

  6. I’m collecting my RM235 special edition tomorrow…

    As a friend asked me to get her a copy, I might drop by Tesco because (honestly) I don’t have that much dinero until my gaji masuk next week.

    This is capitalism lah… I would buy at the hypermarkets too just cos it’s cheaper 😛

    jo: WAH that’s madness!!  yeah but since you have buy more than one, understandable lah. But it’s the book for YOU yourself, that one copy, that first day copy, that oh man..i can go on and on. hahaha.
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  7. YESSSSSSS NO TRAFFIC AT MIDVALLEY TMR. sorry. i am selfish that way.

    chill la beb, ask someone to buy for you and then pretend its from a normal bookshop 🙂 RM40 is a lot of difference ok, can buy one item from Shopaholics already!

    jo: bwahahaha.. yeah i guess.:) i’ve saved up enough money from not shopping for two whole months! means when i get back i’m dragging you with me to shopaholics party! woot! (if you don’t want I won’t kill you don’t worry..*sayang*)
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  8. well to be fair, competition is competition and it’s a good way of allowing those who can’t afford to pay rm100++ for a book to have a chance to read it, rather than wait for paperback. but it does suck that those four bookstores are not selling it … thank gawd i pre-bought mine. u know what this means … no lines tmr! just waltz in and get! i am so excited.

    jo: yeah i know, and i feel kinda bad for sounding like I’m discriminating against people who cannot afford. But i’m not, really! I’m just not happy that it’s not special anymore. 🙁 Somemore it’s the last book you know. T_T… yeah i pre bought mine too. my bro’s having the time of his life reading it now, or so his MSN personal message says. 
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  11. Not you paying also what 😛 hihihihi

    im waiting to download the ebook

    @iBoleh, how did u make ur text terbalik ahh? Im so impressed!

    jo: hahaha it could very well be me if I was the one who had to go collect it! and I can never understand how ebooks are popular. 
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  12. got mine from Tesco here. being delivered first class post tomorrow!! 🙂 cant wait. altho Morrisons is selling it at 7 pounds now. sigh. because i passed the deadline for amazon, i have bought mine from the hypermarket. and i’m happy that i’m getting my book on saturday.

    jo: hope it has reached you already!
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  13. comment: you have no right to call someone a retard just because they may not be as kiasu as you ok. bugger off la

    why that fella can write terbalik one so cool!

    and i happen to think that your reasoning behind getting it from mph is good la. it’s all about the feeeeel.

    jo: haha it’s okay, thanks for warding off twats for me.

    yeah man, i want to learn too!

    Yeap! feel!!! both of us are cheap ya? We like to get value for our money. But certain things…. need to be done in a certain way. 😀
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  14. lol it’s been selling in some departmental stores in Oz too, but the price is not as low as malaysia.. compare to proper bookshops here, which is selling for AUD 30, the ones selling in non-bookstores like Target costs about AUD 27, so still okla, at least bookstores won’t lose that much.. Plus ppl who buy in bookstores get freebies (but my cousin didn’t get one – maybe out of stock? dunno.. or maybe only for pre-orders, who knows..). Apparently those freebies are only given out to proper booksellers so that they can compete with cheapo deparmental stores

    jo: wah! even in aussie got price war! ahaha.. yala, the freebies are fun too.
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  15. hi jo

    you know i bought the fifth book from aussie and crap, its even more expensive when i converted it to ringgit ! and the fifth book is so extremely thick , so i guess its worth it =l

    jo: heya:) ah…. but sometimes we just can’t control that need to read the book immediate eh?:D
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  16. hehe i got mine for £8.99 means about RM63.. which is cheaper than what the supermarkets are selling :X

    but but it’s from Waterstones 🙁 proper book shop!! :X

    jo: yes lah yes lah:D Pandainya pennyku!
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  18. hahha thats why here in aussie, bookstores like Borders sell the books with Hedwig soft toys as a gimmick!!!
    The line today at Borders was unfuckingbelievably long.. whereas the line at the Hyperstores.. were.. well.. nonexistant 😀

    jo: they are not mean as they are here i suppose;D .. but i do hate long lines!
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  21. jo: wah! even in aussie got price war! ahaha.. yala, the freebies are fun too.

    nod nod, but in the papers, i heard british’s worst.. some selling for 5 pounds oni.. so cheap can die!!!!

  22. Lol. RM109.90, and because it’s special. Yeah, pay the RM40 for something more ‘special’ and get it from a ‘proper bookstore’. Come to think of it, if you work part-time you would work 10 hours to earn RM40. That’s in one day.

    How about other people working at gerai-gerai, factory etc? Just spend that extra 1 day of hard-earn cash so that MPH/Times/’proper bookstore’ could earn every single penny from them? It’s not that easy bro, you got a family to support, kids to feed, wife to please.

    Competition is not ugly. Winners are bred from competition. This is business. And business can turn ugly. At the end of the day, the lowest price will win the customers. A ‘proper bookstore’ or a hypermarket is still a shop selling you some crap at a mark-up price.

    Rich snobs will always diss poor ass kids, coz CHEAP THINGS AIN’T GOOD. My RM69.90 HP7 book is inferior to your RM109.90 HP7 book bought from a ‘proper bookstore’ yeah? Yeah right.

    jo: Don’t you DARE tell me how I spend my money. I write articles which pay me RM80-100 per article and I do that a few times a month so I am entitled to say WHERE my money goes to. NOT YOU.

    it’s their problem lah how they want to USE their money. If they don’t think it’s worth it then DON’T BUY la. What the hell is your problem man?

    And I’m not rich okay. I just want to indulge in that feeling that I can only get twice a year(and now no longer). AND I AM PROBABLY ONE OF THE CHEAPEST PEOPLE I KNOW! If you don’t know me, don’t bloody judge.
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  23. “One of my friend’s dad is a big boss in MPH”

    And yeah, your dad is some big boss in some company too right?

    “I can just imagine the Harry Potter book sitting on the steel shelves under harsh lightings of your typical hypermarket, it makes me feel so sick. I never buy anything from hypermarkets except food because all other purchases from it doesn’t say a lot for its style”

    Ok, you feel sick going to hypermarkets. Wow. Try going to wet markets, you will wet your pants. And style? So I bet you don’t go out to mamak and eat right, coz mamak has 0 marks for style and 100 marks for dirtiness. And yeah, no Protons/Peroduas for you coz it ain’t stylish enough.

    jo: now you’re being irrelevant. I’ve never said my dad is some big boss. and that totally has nothing to do with this argument. arrange your facts properly before you talk.

    …… i don’t need to go to wet markets because hypermarkets are nearer to where I stay. They are good for food. But I will always go to MPH for my books. If you appreciate a work of art, you will ensure that they get the credit which they deserve. …. and I ALWAYS go to mamaks okay. I am not above mamaks because I *CANNOT* afford to dine at high class places.(i presume, just like you. hoho)

    Why the hell are you dragging in other aspects over some book?
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  25. 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…

  26. 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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  27. “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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  28. 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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  29. 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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  31. 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?

  33. 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.

  34. 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.

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