Truth to be told, I wasn't aware of the first Big Bad Wolf Book Sale in Manila. Barely a week before its opening date, my cousin told me about this grandest book sale. I later searched for leads and reviews. Much to my surprise, the event has been ongoing for years in other Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. It will be the first attempt to have it in Manila.

Those who know me well can easily figure out that events like this easily attracts my weak shopaholic EQ. :p I was determined to join the flock of book shoppers. Although part of me felt reluctant because I already went to National Bookstore's first Book Binge Bazaar, I'm more than contented with the Manila International Book Fair every September, I have more than enough books for the year and I'm saving up for an item in my bucket list. :) What convinced me to join was the responses and encouragement of fellow bloggers from Malaysia and Indonesia. Added to this, I have a group of "enablers" within my family. So off we went to World Trade Center at 1:00 am. We wanted to avoid the crowd, so we thought that the wee hours in the morning was the best time. I guess this is one of the best features of this event. It's the first book sale in Manila that runs for 24 hours. 








I was finally convinced. It was truly one of the largest book sales I've seen. Added to this, everyone was wide awake at 2:00 am. 


First interesting book sighted: A set of Peter Rabbit books - But surprise, I didn't buy it. I still find it expensive at Php 1,350 and not even the complete set yet
.

I found a complete set except that it retails for Php 6,800!!!!! Much as I love Peter Rabbit, I can't sacrifice Php 6,800. Also, Amazon and Book Depository offer this set at a relatively cheaper rate.

Much of the collections available are books, puzzles and other educational toys. If your intention is to purchase books for kids, the event is for you.











Aside from children's books, hall was dominated  by Fiction books. Unfortunately, I didn't see interesting titles. Also, books from popular authors such as John Green, Cassandra Clare (City of Lost Souls), Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson series), J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and Ransom Riggs (Tales of the Peculiar) were already out of stock. We went on the third day of the sale. I'm not sure if stocks are being replenished.





Meanwhile, those who love everything about Marvel will surely love the Graphic Novel and Comics section.




As for myself, I enjoyed the coffee table books from Architecture, Photography, Beauty, Fashion and Travel sections.


I initially placed this inside my cart. I returned it because of budget constraints. :( Anyone coming to the event? I realized, I badly wanted this title!!!




Also in my list of regrets hahaha

In my opinion, the best book deals are found in the genre of Music and Movies. The best coffee table books and collector's editions are sold for less than Php 2,000.

A copy costs only Php 480

Hello GOT fans!!!








Another favorite area but failed to purchase anything because as expected, expensive. Premium books cost around Php 2,000 and above.






The hardest to let go, a collection that will probably be in my forever wish list. This set of Phaidon Archive costs Php 3,700. Not really bad for such price, but my budget does not agree.

The shelves and racks were arranged in such a way that ample space are given for shoppers. It wasn't difficult to search and browse each book. The more critical problem is the long lines to the Cashier. Other bloggers who went to the event share the same complaint. 


Here's a summary of my discoveries and learning experiences from Big Bad Wolf's Book Sale

1. Credit card payments are accepted.

2. A lot has been asking for passes. Turns out, not everyone is aware that admission to the event is free.

3. Most of the books sold are old titles. Don't expect to find newly released titles.

4. The most extensive collections are on children's books.

5. Fiction books authored by popular authors are already out of stock on the third day. I didn't anymore see anything from John Green, Ransom Riggs, and the like. The fiction books I found are mostly dominated by Jane Green. I'm not just sure if they replenish stocks.

6. For me, the best deals are found in the segment of Architecture, Music and Movies. The hardbound books or coffee table books are for the win.

7. While selecting books is easy, payment relates another story. We checked out at 2:00 am and the lines for payment were still too long.

8. Based from my experience, the flock of shoppers are still present on the wee hours of the morning. Although lines on the entrance area were eliminated, the real story happens in the payment area.

9. Food and drinks are not allowed inside. Take a full meal before shopping.

10. Payment will consume a lot of time. There's another hall dedicated for the cashier section. While there are a lot of staff manning the cashier, lines can really get that long. I'm not sure if my suggestion will work, but I hope the management can consider opening express lanes. Shoppers with less than 10 books can probably be separated.

11. As for budget considerations, a budget of Php 600 to 1,000 can already go a long way in the fiction section. Fiction books in paperbacks costs around Php 190. If you target hardbound books, prepare a budget of around Php 2,000. The cheapest hardbound books I found in the architecture, photography and beauty sections were around Php 480.

12. Marvel enthusiasts will have a feast in the book sale. I swear!!! The cheapest harbound marvel book I found was Php 290.

13. Same goes with fans of The Beatles, there were a lot of hardbound collector's edition books.

14. I didn't anymore explore the books for cooking and baking. Although I noticed, there were a lot of titles from Martha Stewart and Nigella Lawson.