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Q: What's with all the book abuse here? Can Chinese afford books, or are they too expensive?
This is something I've been noticing for the last few years here. I went book shopping with the wife via webcam. We wanted some more baby books for Mini Hulk, right?
Well... the kids destroyed a good portion of the children's books. They didn't want to buy them, they just wanted to read them and then abuse them. Their parents were doing the same thing in the grownup's book section. Some of them stuck pieces of gum between the pages, and when I informed the a store employee about what the kids were doing to the books, she just nodded like it wasn't a big deal.
Lots of good books there, but destroyed by little emperors. How the heck does anyone make any actual profit when 99% of shoppers are just browsing for a book to read and/or abuse in the corner for a few hours, and then put it down and walk out?
I'm just completely bewildered...
I like how your stories are always greatly exaggerated to the point that it Screams: Unbelievable!! If you think they are abusing the books so much then write a complaint to the store and ask them to change their policy to no reading books until purchased. Its a try, but as you said before it may or may not go your way! (
!
He he, I said: "way"!
Hulk:
Someone's obviously never been to a book store in China. 
Have you ever been to China, or are you still in PA? 
this is just comme il faut in China. I don't think it is unique to book stores. It just shows very obvious when you pick a book and it has bent pages etc. Think about what happened to your underwear while it was in the store waiting to be picked up by Hulk.
I do not think books are particularly expensive, even some of the English language paperbacks can be found at decent prices.
Hulk:
Actually, good thing I can't fit underwear from Chinese stores. I did buy some 5 or 6 XL, and they're too small. I'm just too damn wide/morbidly obese/fat.
The underwear I bought was bolted to the box, so I should be okay... I hope... I think... 
Scandinavian:
I got delayed in Shenzhen a while ago and needed to spend the night. Went to a supermarket for supplies such as toothbrushes etc. Bought a pack of underwear, it was XXXL or something and had the writing in English "For fat mans body" yet everything was packed way too tightly.
Tip: UniQLO has some tights and boxers that fit a 100Kg normal sized person.
Hulk:
I'm like 95kg.
Still, too wide for most stuff here. I found lots of pants which were too big for my waist, but not wide enough for my legs/groin area. I literally could not move around in them.... wtf?
i going to put this on a tape recorder (yes i'm old)
"chinese are rude, insensitive, inconsiderate, selfish, narcist, ignorant, you name it. this is allowed and even encouraged as long as they do not rise up against the govt."
Hulk:
That pretty much answers every negative post about China. I think we should get that in mp3 format.
I have seen this too! I went to a book shop and there were dozens of people sitting around reading, not buying, just reading! The spines of all the books were creased, the pages torn and folded as if someone was going to come back and finish later on.
It is encouraged to read books in book shops in England too, but it is generally understood that you buy it after!
So yeah, strange. I would put the books in plastic wrap and have only a few for reading purposes
Books are cheap here as far I understand. I recently got the Song of Ice and Fire set (5 huge books) for only about 200 RMB.
Book authors don't make as much money in China as they do in other parts of the world, so books are a lot cheaper (little or no royalties to pay). So books are very cheap, if they weren't then another chinese company would just make a copy of the book and sell it for cheap.
To be honest, I'm envious. I remember paying over $250 for my differential equations math book back in the States, and getting an offer of only $70 when I tried to sell it back to the bookstore in prestine condition. I'm sure if those books costed $250 they wouldn't let children stick gum in them.
