Excepts from newspaper report featuring Malaysia Bookseller Association president Cheah Thye Wee.
“We will be having a meeting next week with our 100-odd members nationwide to decide what needs to be done next.
“The worst case scenario would be to return the books back to the publisher,” said the frustrated Cheah.
He strongly supported the decision of the four major bookstore chains not to sell the book.
“We will stand by them,” he added.
Excepts from a separate report coming through at the same day.
The four major bookstore chains that refused to sell Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows have changed their minds.
MPH, Times, Popular and Harris would start selling the book Tuesday onwards at the recommended retail price of RM109.90, they said in a joint statement Monday night.
However, as a goodwill gesture to their customers, they would offer a special discount of 25% for their members, while walk-in customers can get a 20% discount if they make any other purchase.
In my opinion, bookstore chains were hoping for an intervention from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. When the minister openly support the price war, claiming that books sold at affordable price encourage the public to read, bookstore chains had their last hope burned down to dust.
At the end, they are left with only two alternatives. Stop the protest, or return the book to publisher (earn nothing from what might have been an all time bestseller). You know the outcome of this saga already don't you? Bookshop relent, will sell latest and the last Potter book.
Soon, these bookstore chains will be back in the meeting room, working 24/7 to come up with a better strategy to fight future throat cutting price war. The thing is we don't know if there will be next Potter magic.
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