Lyna Mohamad & Adib Noor
With a new school year around the corner, bookstores in the Sultanate are seeing parents thronging their floors to pick up reserved books, or buy them off the shelves, keeping shop assistants and cashiers busy.
Mohamed Rafi bin Haji Tajudeen, a sales manager at a popular bookstore, noticed that last year, many parents opted to do their shopping ahead of time, with some buying the books on bonus day.
Hence, he said, the bookstore was not as busy as the previous years.
“Last year, we also planned our procurement ahead due to the international supply chain disruptions. Most books arrived on time for the new school year, so they are well-stocked,” he said.
The bookstore, he said, has digitalised their booking system. Customers will receive messages on WhatsApp that update them on the progress of their reservations which has helped parents who are abroad at the time.
“We received good feedback from our customers on our new booking system. Even for books which are not available due to shipment or printing delays, customers will receive instant updates as soon as the books arrive,” he said.
The Bulletin also spoke to Jonathan Voon, who was out shopping for his youngest son’s school supplies, as his other children have already completed their studies.
As in previous years, he said, he started buying books as soon as the list came out just before the school break, with additional visits to pick up books that were not available earlier.
Voon, who brought along his son, said they typically visit one shop to get all the supplies as everything is usually available under one roof.
In terms of spending on school supplies each year, he said the cost is roughly unchanged, at over BND100 per child.
