Tips on how to make the most of the Big Bad Wolf Book Fair 2019

It’s still a ways off, but we can’t be the only ones who got excited about the news of the return of the Big Bad Wolf Book Fair, said to be the biggest (and most affordable) book sale in the world, to Manila.

To be held on February 22 until March 4—a whopping 11 days—at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, the 2019 Big Bad Wolf Fair brings back everything that made it a hit event the first time around: free admission to the book fair, and  24/7 (or, in this case, 24/11) browsing and shopping for attendees. There will be over two million new books for people to peruse through, and shoppers can enjoy discounts from 50 to 90 percent off. So if you’ve seen the hauls that people had taken home last year, expect them to get even bigger this year.

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To help you get ready for this major shopping event, here are a few tips on what you’d need to prepare so that you can make the most out of your visit to this book fair.

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1. Make an organized list. Put together all the titles you’ve been meaning to find and read, and group them according to specific categories. You can go by genre or alphabetically; either way, this would help you find your way to the right sections of the book fair immediately. And because a sale is always a finders, keepers scenario, you’d need to be fast to scoop up a popular title.
2. Bring luggage. You’d be shopping for books, some of which might come in hard cover. If you look back to your elementary days when you were required to lug around every single textbook for that school year every day to school, you’d know that flimsy eco bags won’t cut it at the Big Bad Wolf. Equip yourself with a wheeled luggage so it’d be easier for you to move around the World Trade Center and you can bring your finds at home with more ease.
3. Have both cash and credit card at the ready. The Big Bad Wolf is equipped to do transactions using both, so you can opt for either payment method. While having a credit card on hand would definitely be safer, it might not be so great if you plan on sticking to a budget. Also, who knows when a card reader conks out?
4. Plan out your shopping day strategy. If you, like most folks, don’t have the luxury of clearing out all 11 days in your calendar, then draw a plan for the day/s you plan to drop by the Big Bad Wolf. What time do you plan to head to the sale, especially if you’d be commuting or booking a cab? If you’re bringing a car, where would you park, should the parking at the World Trade Center be full already? Do you want to make an attempt at finding everything on your list on just one day, or do you want to spread it over a few days? If you have friends who are also interested in going, do you join forces so that there’d be more pairs of eyes looking for those elusive titles? And how many hours do you plan to stay at the World Trade Center? As fun as the idea of a 24-hour sale sounds, you would still need to use the restroom and eat, so take these factors in consideration.
5. Be open to surprise finds. We’ve been making the upcoming book sale sound like a battle for survival, and in some ways, it will be, as any other well-attended event tends to be. But don’t forget to have fun as you find yourself surrounded by piles and piles of books from across various genres. Keep yourself open to whatever new title or author would catch your eye, read a couple of pages, and gauge what might be worthy of keeping you company on nights when you’d rather stay at home, or during your next getaway. After all, not every story worth reading comes with a “bestseller” distinction.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Fair 2019 will open on February 22 at 9 am until march 4 at 11:59 pm at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. For updates, follow the Big Bad Wolf Books on Facebook.