Many of us enjoy spending time in bookstores where we can bask in the calming scent that comes from books, with some even considering this activity suitable for dates. But, you can’t exactly enjoy the smell of books if they’re wrapped up, right?
In order for bookstores to not wrap their books, they would first need to trust the people coming in and out of their stores.
TSUTAYA BOOKS in Pavilion Bukit Jalil took to their Instagram page to call out irresponsible parties who have damaged their unwrapped books.
They wrote, “When we first opened our doors last July, we were (and still are) most excited to welcome you into our world of books, stationary and wonder. If you’ve had the lovely opportunity to visit TSUTAYA BOOKS in Japan, though each store’s design is unique, you would have observed that books are unwrapped and nestled on shelves waiting to be flipped through, purchased and brought to their new homes.”
“This was our vision here too, for our first store in Southeast Asia. But, you may have noticed with every visit, that more and more of our books are now wrapped with clear film.”
Unfortunately, we have not given them a good reason to trust us with their books.
“As book lovers, it really saddens us to do this but we have had no choice. Through the months, our staff have put aside mountains of books that have been damaged, intentionally – with pages ripped out, covers torn, children’s pop-up books that no longer ‘pop-up’. It’s both sad and disappointing,”
“We would love nothing more than to go back to how it was when we first opened – shelves lined neatly with books as they are. What a beautiful sight that was. And we do have hope to restore this tradition of TSUTAYA BOOKS with your kind cooperation. Though we are not a library, our societal role as a bookstore is to encourage reading and promote literacy,” they explained.
Now, if you want to flip through a book that’s been sealed, you will have to ask their sales associates to assist you.
“Do handle books with care. For those with itchy hands who can’t see nice, brand-new things, please stop defacing what does not belong to you. It’s simply unkind,”
“With your help, we do hope to free our books of being imprisoned in plastic wrapping. Not just at our bookstore, but at all bookstores – and libraries too, for that matter. Thank you for reading to the end. Just a little reminder that books have feelings,” they added.
It is truly heartbreaking to hear that people are willing to damage books, literally for fun. This is truly why we cannot have nice things.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
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