Booksale | Inside the MCS Branch

Bookstores in the Philippines have become a common place, as they serve as an alternative to public libraries that have ceased to exist in the country. Because not everyone can afford brand-new books to use in school or even to have in their personal collection, there were secondhand book shops that provided an alternative. Booksale is one such store would possibly originated the concept all the way back to 1980. But others have followed in their footsteps in providing affordable reading material for students and bookworms. There has been conflicting news that books would likely exist in digital editions. But that is not the case, as book fairs and other book events will continue to promote having physical book reading over digital.

There have been other secondhand book shops that stood the test of time, but there are others that have silently closed their stores. But Booksale continues to prevail in this sector because there’s nothing like this shop that tries to make it affordable for the masses to continue their interest in reading, despite the rise of mobile phone accessibility as the norm, which should not be allowed for minors as an educational tool.

I have grown up to always visit Booksale after school hours, even their older branch that used to be in the former Harrison Plaza shopping centre. I got my copies of comic book back issue fix there, and was even able to complete a run of The Flash (Vol . 3) featuring Wally West as the Speedster, taking down Dr. Alchemy in issue no. 40.

Also, they have several back issue magazines that either no longer published or are just expensive when the magazine shop named Bufini used to exist. They are the second option to check before heading home. Booksale is a constant place to check for some interesting reads, like going to a local grocery store. Reading physical books will not go out of style, because of the tactile feel of flipping through those pages and smelling those old printed magazines.

When I went to do a personal errand, going to the Makati Central Square, the last stop would be checking Booksale. This branch of MCS has been around since the 1990s and is one of the largest branches in Makati. Despite the changing climate about book reading experience and the demise of some magazines, both international and local, they continue to carry secondhand reading material for everyone.

They even have toys and board games as an alternative aside from the usual reading materials. Although the toys are not branded, they catch attention from someone like me who appreciates everything that includes the bootlegs and knock-offs. They also have secondhand audio CDs and DVDs,

Truly, the landscape for multimedia like CDs and DVDs has declined, like the magazines being discontinued. But in other countries outside the Philippines, these types of media are thriving. Physical media is under threat by the rise of streaming and digital formats, but you can’t own them like physical media, like books and visual audio material. This is the reason why we need to support small businesses like Booksale and its rivals to keep them alive for the next generation.

In case you are in the vicinity of the Makati Central Square, make sure to drop by and pick a book or something interesting to read that might spark your interest in owning copies of those editions for less than the actual cost, as Booksale has been there for most of us and we should return the favour to keep their shops open, and also to let them continue in expanding by opening branches in regional and rural areas.

For more about Booksale and what they have in their shops, you can follow them through their social media on Facebook and Instagram!