Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2011 - First Day

As mentioned in the post yesterday, I seriously was crazy enough to go on the first day of the Big Bad Wolf Sale! We had some trouble finding our way there, thanks to my lack of familiarity with the area and the truly awful road signage but we still managed to arrive just after 11. I made a beeline for the cookbooks and unfortunately as cookbooks are H-E-A-V-Y .. that's all I got to see. We're thinking of making another trip next week to see the rest :D

My (1st?) Haul

Jamie's Kitchen by Jamie Oliver @ RM25

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman @ RM25

The New York Times Dessert Cookbook @ RM20

The Complete Southern Cookbook by Tammy Algood @ RM20

Mother's Best: Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again @ RM15

Good Housekeeping Great Home Cooking @ RM12

Better Home & Gardens New Cookbook @ RM12

Betty Crocker Cookbook @ RM12

Betty Crocker Ultimate Cake Mix Book @ RM12

Rocco Gets Real by Rocco Dispirito @ RM10

Rocco's Real Life Recipes by Rocco Dispirito @ RM10

Grilling With Gas @ RM10

Kingsford Complete Grilling Cookbook @ RM10

Your Pregnancy Week By Week @ RM10

Language Book x2 @ RM5ea

It came up to just over RM200. That's 12 cookbooks for the price of 1! So very very worth it! Especially as most of them are thick tomes with tons of recipes to last a lifetime. Even though I went for the Jamie Oliver cookbook I'm more excited about all the classic American cookbooks. 

This was a wonderfully organized event by Big Bad Wolf Books. The venue is quite remote but it is perfect for such a sale. Ample parking with a whole fleet of trams to ferry people from parking lot to the hall. The parking area is far away from the hall, over hilly terrain and it is pretty much impossible afterwards with all your purchases.

Extremely impressed by the safety aspect ... on arrival there's a big queue but it's only because the organizers are keeping count of how many people are allowed in the hall at any one time. The queue outside moves quickly enough ... about 15-30 minutes and you're under tents with ceiling fans so it's not too bad. Once inside, it's nothing like any other warehouse sale. There is quite a lot of people but the tables are set far enough apart that everyone can move around, it was kind of like a crowd milling about at an airport actually. Lots of staff on hand from the parking lot, to the entrance queue, inside the hall, at the cashier counter and even after payment to help you with your books to the tram (if you buy a little too much). Cashier counters fill a whole row at the back of the hall taking about 20 minutes to clear.

Spectacular job by Big Bad Wolf Books.

Shopping Tips

• Wear comfy clothes and especially comfy shoes.
• Bring a cart, like a metal market cart or like some really smart people a carry-on bag on rollers. 
• Come along with someone else so one can babysit while the other wanders around. 
• Don't buy too much as the staff help carry/transport to the tram but once you're on the tram, you're on your own. Getting down off the tram with too many books/boxes a little difficult. There will be a line to get on the tram afterwards (a line of sorts, lots of 'typical' behaviour).
• Don't be too fussy about the books. It's a warehouse sale! Some of the covers or pages might be creased, torn or misprinted but it doesn't affect the content does it? Also don't go expecting to find a full range of books like in a bookstore - can't believe some people are griping about this on Facebook. What is available there is more than enough especially for such prices.
• Know how to get to the venue, road signs are not helpful. #1 UPM Exit, make sure to not go into UPM campus gates but just head straight until you see a tiny MAEPS sign on the left. #2 Serdang Hospital/UPM exit was the better route to take I heard.

P.S - There were tons of Jamie's Kitchen there, not to worry .. like the papers stated there's 10,000 copies!

For more info - Big Bad Wolf Books Website, Facebook and Twitter