Peculiar Thai Habit Of Allowing Books To Be Read In The Shop

[giddyup]

First time I saw this was in a bookshop in Bangkok. There must have been at least 10 people squatting on the floor reading books. I asked the Thai lady I was with if the bookshop owners minded, she said "no, people can't afford to buy" Since then I have seen it many times, even in 7 eleven's reading the magazines. I don't know of any other places in the world where this kind of tolerance is practiced.

[bendix]

Happens all over the world. Pretty much any decent bookshop worth its salt welcomes readers in and provides comfortable environments for them to read - some even providing chairs. I used to go to a shop in Norwich - one of the chains in fact - that let you take books to the instore coffeeshop. Shops here in HK do the same.

For me, the two large English language bookshops in Emporium and Siam Paragon are the best new bookshops I have ever seen in Asia, and - frankly - beat many of the shops in the UK.

[giddyup]

Happens all over the world. Pretty much any decent bookshop worth its salt welcomes readers in and provides comfortable environments for them to read - some even providing chairs. I used to go to a shop in Norwich - one of the chains in fact - that let you take books to the instore coffeeshop. Shops here in HK do the same.

For me, the two large English language bookshops in Emporium and Siam Paragon are the best new bookshops I have ever seen in Asia, and - frankly - beat many of the shops in the UK.

Maybe I never paid attention before, but I can't say I noticed it in the UK or Australia. I have seen people perhaps reading the flyleaf or back cover, but not actually sitting down and reading the whole book. Do they leave a bookmark or fold the corner of a page so they know where to pick up from where they left off? Must cut down on bookshop profits.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Which is exactly why many books, maps, and newspapers are either wrapped in plastic or stapled.

Mac

[bendix]

I'm not sure they do that to the extent you're suggesting - ie reading the whole book. I think people like to browse and pick through a chapter or two during an idlehour. I regularly do this in Kinowhatevertheplace is called in Emporium while Mrs bendix is wandering around adding to her ridiculously large shoe collection.

[kaspercat]

B&N, boarders... All of the book stores in the states have coffee shop inside the bookstores. You will find dozens of people sitting there half the day reading. I have done it plenty of time before when I lived there.

[giddyup]

I'm not sure they do that to the extent you're suggesting - ie reading the whole book. I think people like to browse and pick through a chapter or two during an idlehour. I regularly do this in Kinowhatevertheplace is called in Emporium while Mrs bendix is wandering around adding to her ridiculously large shoe collection.

Well, I think this is where Thailand differs. The people I saw in BKK weren't browsing, they were in for the long haul. Same in 7 elevens, not flicking through a magazine, but actually sitting down and reading it.

[giddyup]

B&N, boarders... All of the book stores in the states have coffee shop inside the bookstores. You will find dozens of people sitting there half the day reading. I have done it plenty of time before when I lived there.

Are they reading for free or are they reading books they've purchased? A book could hardly be sold as new if half a dozen people have read it, spilt their coffee and dropped doughnut crumbs over it. Not to mention well thumbed or torn pages.

[Semper]

I have never seen a Thai reading a book.

[Ulysses G.]

In the US, book dealers can return any book to the publisher and not have to pay for it. That is why they can be so blase about customers reading the books. In Thailand, smaller bookdealers can only return the book to the distributer if it looks brand new. Otherwise they are stuck with it and it is very difficult to sell a beat-up looking book as new.

Some of the big guys like Asia Books or Kinokuniya probably have a return agreement with the publisher, but the little guys usually do not. That is why many places keep the books in the plastic that it came in. It is inconvienient for the seller and the buyer, but the only way to not lose a lot of money on damaged stock.

Edited May 29, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[giddyup]

I have never seen a Thai reading a book.

Agreed, they aren't great readers generally, unless it's some kind of Thai Mills & Boon or Buddhist teachings. However, I occasionally pick up an English-Thai translation of a best seller for the GF and she won't put it down until she's read it from cover to cover. I just hope the translations are a little better than the Thai sub titles for English/American movies. The GF (who speaks pretty good English) say that sometimes the Thai sub titles have absolutely no relevance to what's being said onscreen.

[lovelomsak]

In Victoria BC Canada Chapters a large book chain had big cosy chairs to sit in and read. They also had Starbucks Coffee on site so a person could read a book in comfort and have a coffee to drink well reading. The chairs were quality and the coffee was quality and they felt their books were quality.

People would sit and read for hours. Many people had a greater comfort reading at the store than at home I thought.

[TheWalkingMan]

Happens all the time in Tokyo. Walk by any 7-11 type store or any of the bookstores and you will see people reading books/magazines etc. 7-11 is especially popular in the sweltering summer. After working hours, many drop into 7-11 to escape the heat.

[ExpatJ]

B&N, boarders... All of the book stores in the states have coffee shop inside the bookstores. You will find dozens of people sitting there half the day reading. I have done it plenty of time before when I lived there.

Are they reading for free or are they reading books they've purchased? A book could hardly be sold as new if half a dozen people have read it, spilt their coffee and dropped doughnut crumbs over it. Not to mention well thumbed or torn pages.

Its very common in the US- you can actually buy a coffee and take the magazines/books to read in the book store coffee shop (without buying them). Very good sales technique apparently because the longer someone stays in a store the more they end up buying something before they leave.

[MaxwellsDemon]

B&N, boarders... All of the book stores in the states have coffee shop inside the bookstores. You will find dozens of people sitting there half the day reading. I have done it plenty of time before when I lived there.

Are they reading for free or are they reading books they've purchased? A book could hardly be sold as new if half a dozen people have read it, spilt their coffee and dropped doughnut crumbs over it. Not to mention well thumbed or torn pages.

Maybe that's their strategy - there's some guy watching over the reading area and the moment someone drops a speck of donut on the book, he marches up and says, "You're gonna have to buy that book, sir."

[giddyup]

Happens all the time in Tokyo. Walk by any 7-11 type store or any of the bookstores and you will see people reading books/magazines etc. 7-11 is especially popular in the sweltering summer. After working hours, many drop into 7-11 to escape the heat.

Well, there you go. Here I was thinking that it was an exception, now it appears that it's more the rule.

[Shot]

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[nocturn]

not so sure how thai specific this habit is, i grew up spend huge chunks of time in book shops, often getting a few chapters in before i upped sticks, paid for the book and headed home to finish it.

meanwhile i had a coffee and lunch to boot.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I think any bookseller preventing people from doing this is not a smart businessperson.

[bendix]

I have never seen a Thai reading a book.

That says more about the Thais you associate with, than it does about Thailand.

Mrs bendix buys 5-6 books a month, and I'm not talking about trash - Thai fiction like Chart Korbjit, SEA winners and Thai translations of the books I've recommended that I think she would enjoy such as Jane Austen and Emily Bronte, more modern stuff like Murakami and Amy Tan. She also loves biography and history.

[BuddhistVirus]

Kinowhatevertheplace is called in Emporium

Books Kinokuniya

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_Kinokuniya#section_2

http://www.kinokuniya.com/

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I have never seen a Thai reading a book.

If one of my Thai dependents - other than the main maid/nanny, she can't read any language - isn't spending at least 3-4 hours a day with their books - writing as well as reading - they're out the door.

Sure harder to find ones that ambitious, but it's a great winnowing criteria.

[bendix]

Kinowhatevertheplace is called in Emporium

Books Kinokuniya

http://en.m.wikipedi...uniya#section_2

http://www.kinokuniya.com/

That's the place. Fantastic collection of quality books without the rubbish celebrity titles that dominate the UK chains these days, and for very good prices. I find it bizarre that I can buy great fiction or philosophy or non-fiction in English, in Bangkok, for 30% less than it would cost in the UK.

Case in point. Wallace's latest novel in paperback UK price 8quid. Bangkok price (after the usual 20% discount they give to newer titles) was 200 baht. Murakami's new novel in the UK 35 quid. In Bangkok, 650 baht after the discount.

[cooked]

.. while we're on the subject, there seem to be no public libraries in Thailand? Is there any kind of book swapping club in Thailand? I can't live without my afternoon read and I don't like Kindle.

I think that the fact that you rarely see a Thai reading a book or even a newspaper is sad, apparently the Vietnamese are avid book readers but they don't have to use an alphabet like the Thais use, do they? Reading Thai gives me a headache after 5 minutes.

[giddyup]

.. while we're on the subject, there seem to be no public libraries in Thailand? Is there any kind of book swapping club in Thailand? I can't live without my afternoon read and I don't like Kindle.

I think that the fact that you rarely see a Thai reading a book or even a newspaper is sad, apparently the Vietnamese are avid book readers but they don't have to use an alphabet like the Thais use, do they? Reading Thai gives me a headache after 5 minutes.

I must admit that's one of the things I miss, visits to my local library and coming home with an armload of books. Now I have to resort to swapping pulp fiction paperbacks with neighbours or a couple of bars.

[GreenSnapper]

I have never seen a Thai reading a book.

That says more about the Thais you associate with, than it does about Thailand.

Mrs bendix buys 5-6 books a month,

Your aggressive reply says more about yourself than about book reading Thais.

Semper is right. It is very rare that Thais read books. Of course, in a country of 60 million, there are some exceptions. But Mrs Bendix and a few others don't count when most Thais don't own books and don't read .

The last time I saw a Thai reading a book in BTS was a woman reading the bible. All other "Thais" reading in the BTS are foreigners - Japanese, Korean, Chinese etc.

[cooked]

in Europe many people in trains and buses take the time to read at least a newspaper, maybe we should be content that Thais don't do this as it would give them yet another opportunity to litter their environment.

[SimonD]

The closest thing I've seen to a library in Thailand was (is?) a second-hand bookshop in one of the side soi's off Jomtien beach road, run by an outstandingly friendly Thai lady. It was only a single shop-front wide but all the books were neatly shelved by category and in good condition, some mint. A good few thousand titles on all subjects and always a good selection of the latest releases from abroad. She told me she bought them from hotels in Jomtien and Pattaya where they had been left behind by guests.

Each book carried a stamp showing the purchase price, and a redemption price if the book was returned in the same condition. The redemption price was about 30-40% of the sale price for paperbacks and 40-50% for hardbacks. So a 200b hardback would be redeemed for 80-100b to be put towards another purchase (no cash refunds). About half the selection were in English, a good chunk in German or Norwegian, a scattering of other languages but very few (about two metres of shelving) in Thai.

She had no objection to people browsing for hours, or even crossing the soi to read in the bar opposite, and was very trusting with her regular customers. On two occasions she even left me unattended in the shop while she rushed off to buy some more! After I discovered it I virtually lived there until I'd checked out the whole collection! It wasn't the British Library reading-room by any means but a gem of a find all the same.

That was a few years ago so I suppose they're all in Russian now...

[Berkshire]

I have never seen a Thai reading a book.

That says more about the Thais you associate with, than it does about Thailand.

Mrs bendix buys 5-6 books a month,

It is very rare that Thais read books.

And you know this....how exactly? How can you possibly follow the reading habits of 60 million Thais? Rhetorical question, because the answer is you can't. Just another farang making an ignorant statement about the Thais.

[Berkshire]

Happens all the time in Tokyo. Walk by any 7-11 type store or any of the bookstores and you will see people reading books/magazines etc. 7-11 is especially popular in the sweltering summer. After working hours, many drop into 7-11 to escape the heat.

Well, there you go. Here I was thinking that it was an exception, now it appears that it's more the rule.

You're right, it is more the rule. Seen it happen all over the USA, at every shop that sells books or magazines.

I think your thread is innocent enough, but it's a good example of how farangs zero in on certain things the Thais do (usually negative) and try to label it as being uniquely Thai when it's actually quite normal behavior throughout the world...usually. But no harm, no foul.