Bustling textbook market

(Baonghean) -Although the official opening date is September 5, schools in Vinh city have started studying in early August. On the morning of August 15, schools began saluting the flag and officially studying the new program.

At 5 p.m. on August 14, at the Book and School Equipment Company on Le Hong Phong Street (Vinh City), the security guard was having a hard time arranging the vehicles and informing people not to come in at this time because the store was overloaded. However, parents and students continued to come. The security guard's voice seemed to be about to yell: "It's too crowded, if you can't pay, come tomorrow. If you leave your vehicle there, I won't watch it."

Parents come to buy books at the School Equipment and Books Company

Weaving through the crowd of people and vehicles, the checkout counters of the store located right next to the office of the Company of Books and School Equipment were surrounded by hundreds of parents and students. Nearby, on the shelves of books and supplies, many people were still choosing to buy. The bookstore staff had to stand on high chairs to manage. An employee said: As the source of distribution of books and school equipment in the province, every year, our store is always overloaded. During the peak season, sales reach about 150 million VND/day, including books and stationery.

Ms. Nga in Hung Binh, sweating profusely, said: "I went early in the afternoon, chose and bought a set of 5th grade books for my child, and went to the checkout counter, but I waited for an hour and still couldn't pay." Mr. Hung, the parent of a 2nd grade student at Hung Dung Primary School, said: "This year, I bought books early to prepare for a shortage like last year, but because I was still missing some supplies, I went to buy them, but I didn't expect it to be this crowded."

In Hung Nguyen town, it is not as crowded as in Vinh but the number of people coming to shop is still very large. Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Store Manager of Hung Nguyen Branch of Book and School Equipment Center, said: For many years now, at the end of each school year, the company has a campaign to release books at the beginning of the next school year, starting from May 1 to September 30. During this time, customers who buy from the company receive a discount of 5-15% on all textbooks, reference books and teaching equipment. This program applies to the entire system of the company. In addition, this is a branch of the Education Publishing House, so the quality of books is guaranteed in both content and form, there is no phenomenon of books printed in duplicate or outside the source. That is why parents always choose school equipment to buy supplies for their children.

Similarly, Yen Cong bookstore on Tran Phu street (opposite the gate of Military Region IV) is also bustling with customers coming and going. This is a bookstore with wholesale and retail outlets in the province.

As for Nghe An Book Distribution Joint Stock Company, it is very crowded every year but this year it is quite quiet. Ms. H - a staff at the self-service book counter on the 2nd floor said that every year reference books are reduced by 10%, textbooks are reduced by 5% but now they are sold at the listed price on the back of the book so there are fewer customers. Located in the city center, but on peak days, the sales are about 20 million VND.

Through investigation, it is known that in this school year, the Education Publishing House adjusted the cover price of 193 books printed in 2011, with prices increasing by 10-20% compared to 2010, due to increased raw material prices and production costs. Specifically: the 1st grade textbook set costs 47,500 VND; the 5th grade textbook set costs 78,300 VND, the 10th grade textbook set costs 130,000 VND... an increase of 10,000 - 17,000 VND/set.

However, the price increase only applies to books printed in 2011, previously printed books will not increase in price. For textbooks printed from previous years that are still in stock, the price will remain the same. Parents and students need to pay attention to buy books at the right price, avoiding the case of mistakenly buying books printed from previous years at the price of books printed in 2011. And now, because of the sudden increase in demand, there is a shortage of some books, especially textbooks. Therefore, to avoid being passive, parents need to prepare earlier. Particularly for some subjects that are not unified between schools, such as English for primary school, it is recommended that schools notify early so that the supply, business as well as the preparation of parents and students can be more proactive.

Thu Huyen