Textbook and school supplies market: Bustling "in season"

(Baonghean) - There is still about a month left until the new school year begins, at this time, the market for textbooks and school supplies is bustling with season… with many attractive discount and promotion programs.

Great promotion

The bookstore of the School Equipment and Books Joint Stock Company (Le Hong Phong Street, Vinh City) is always crowded with customers these days. Ms. Le Thi Thanh (Dien Thanh - Dien Chau) brought her two children to Vinh to buy books. According to her experience, buying books at large bookstores in the city allows you to be assured of the quality of the books, enjoy preferential prices and receive useful advice. She said: "This year my second child is entering 4th grade. I heard from the school that the 4th grade English textbooks have changed this year, so I am asking the staff for advice on how to buy the right books for my child to study."

Textbook booth at the Bookstore of Books and School Equipment Joint Stock Company (Vinh City).

The common psychology of parents is to buy books for their children during the summer to attend extra classes, preparing knowledge for the new school year. So at this time, the purchasing power of textbooks begins to increase. Ms. Mai Thi Bich Thuy, Deputy Director of the Joint Stock Company of Books and School Equipment, said: From May until now, the company's dealer system in 21 districts, cities and towns in the whole province has published nearly 2 million copies of textbooks; reaching 105% compared to the same period last year. Parents should note that this year, only the English textbook program for grade 4 has changed, the remaining textbooks for other levels are still reprinted. Textbooks for the 2015-2016 school year are enough to meet all the needs of the people, ensuring that there will be no shortage of books or book fever.

To attract customers, bookstores have simultaneously launched attractive promotional programs. The dealer system of Nghe An Books and School Equipment Joint Stock Company offers a 10-15% discount on all items; Huy Hoang Bookstore offers a 10% discount on textbooks and references. In addition, for regular customers, the bookstore also offers a 15-20% discount depending on each item; customers who purchase from 300,000 VND will receive an English learning card from the Vietnam Aseam Center. Some private bookstores offer a higher discount, from 10-30% depending on the type of book...

According to the general assessment of many private bookstores, this year, books are selling quite slowly. The owner of Yen Cong bookstore (Le Duan street) said: "Every year, at this time, textbooks and reference books sell very well, but this year the purchasing power has decreased sharply, only reaching about 50% of last year. Partly because this year many students have registered to buy books through the school channel and reference textbooks are also guided by teachers to buy."

Besides buying new books, students can also save money by buying used books. Currently, used textbooks are sold quite a lot in many used book stores on Nguyen Van Cu Street, around Vinh University; with prices only about 1/3 or 1/2 of new books (depending on the newness of the books). Right at the bookstore of the Joint Stock Company of Books and School Equipment, there is also a service of exchanging old books for new books, currently there are about 3000 old books that have been exchanged...

To choose reference books that ensure quality and promote effectiveness in supplementing and improving knowledge for students, Ms. Mai Thi Bich Thuy noted: “When buying reference books, you should choose to buy books from reputable publishers such as the Education Publishing House, university publishers or buy books by author's name. Students should consult teachers or people whose children have studied in previous years. Parents should buy reference books, advanced books that are appropriate for their children's academic ability; reference books that closely follow the textbook program, open up and develop students' intelligence."

Variety of school supplies

In addition to textbooks, other items such as school supplies, school bags, school uniforms, student lamps... are also chosen by many customers on this occasion. This year, entering grade 8, Nguyen Hung Phu (Vinh Tan ward, Vinh city) and his mother went to buy school supplies to prepare for the new school year, saying: "This year, school supplies such as pens, rulers, pencil boxes... have rich and eye-catching designs. I especially like pens with strange shapes on the head like cats, rabbits, moons... the prices of these pens are also reasonable, only about 10 thousand VND/piece". Student notebooks are also quite rich in color, in particular, there are many types with beautiful paper, thick binding and anti-ink smudging. The items of school bags and backpacks are also very diverse, suitable for all ages, with many improved designs for customers to choose from; with criteria of odorless, waterproof, with supportive straps, lined with soft leather or cotton to avoid shoulder pain. There are backpacks that can be lowered into suitcases to help young students avoid sagging shoulders and hunchback.

Prices of school supplies generally remain stable compared to last year, some items have increased slightly (about 5%). Pens range from 5 - 12 thousand VND/piece, notebooks cost from 10 - 12 thousand VND/book. School bags also cost from 50 - 300 thousand VND/piece depending on the design and material... According to the general assessment of many stores, this year domestic school supplies dominate. Customers also prioritize choosing Vietnamese products. "Products of domestic manufacturers with brands such as: Thien Long, Ben Nghe, Hong Ha, Vinh Tien, Campus... are prioritized by consumers.

At this time, although purchasing power is only stable as last year, not yet increased strongly, it is easy to see that customers prioritize choosing good quality products with beautiful designs without paying much attention to price. Besides the usual school supplies, many new products to protect students' health such as: Anti-myopia lamps (priced from 180 - 400 thousand VND/piece); anti-glare boards, lightweight backpacks and handbags with designs suitable for each age of students are selling quite well during this time" - Mr. Ho Hung Truong - Director of Huy Hoang Culture Joint Stock Company said.

To attract customers to shop at the beginning of the new school year, many bookstores have launched promotional programs for school supplies. Most stores offer discounts of 5-15%, depending on the item. The market has a variety of books, notebooks, and school supplies that suit the tastes of consumers, combined with promotional programs before the new school year, which have helped parents and students make the best choices and confidently enter the upcoming school year.

Dinh Nguyet