National Bookstore is a part of everybody's schooltime memories. And for good reason, they have…read morealmost everything that a student needs. From textbooks to notebooks to writing implements, just name it and they have it. They have magazines, graphic novels and even gift wrapping services. They have school supplies of different brands so there are choices depending on which style or price range you prefer the most. The also have their Best Buy products which are more affordable school and office supplies. And for bibliophiles like myself, they sell a lot of books. You're sure to find the latest bestsellers in their shelves. They have also started bringing to the Philippines famous authors like Nicholas Sparks and Mitch Albom for book signing events. They also sell paperbacks for a discounted price although these are mostly copies that are not really of brand new condition. Its founder, affectionately called Nanay Coring, has really built a company that Filipinos can look up to. From a small store in Avenida, they now have more than a hundred branches scattered around the archipelago. National Bookstore will always be the Filipino student's best friend.

National Bookstore suddenly had a lot of indirect competitors the past few years and I am happy…read morethat it gave them the drive to think of new products to offer their loyal customers. I am not so fond of this megamall branch because the one in Shangri la is my favorite, it is newly renovated and very well-lit. This branch is a little bit dark and people always seem to be too busy to help you out. I will never get tired of entering national bookstore because (aside from the fact that I love books), it has everything that I need when it comes to office supplies. They even have the Kate Spade office collection and it brought them to another level, which I think will really work out for them. I have not renewed my Laking National card though (my friends, too) and I think they should work on their rewards platform next.

This is one of my favorite bookstores in the Philippines. I love the aesthetic inside and how it…read morewas laid out especially when they have photo of a woman create with books. It was also bonus that my book, Bridging the Confidence, was available at this location. Definitely a must go if you love book stores.

Bookstore -- more than books! (MANILA Philippines)…read more My two daughters would absolutely love this bookstore if we had one in the U.S. My 10-year old niece who resides in the Philippines introduced me to this store when I told her that I was looking for Sonny Angel merchandise for my adult daughter at home who loves this stuff. Not only did they have them but they had so many different kinds of Pop Mart blind box merchandise meaning you do not know which figure you will receive until you buy one and open the box. The bookstore also carries a good selection of Manga books series which my other daughter would be excited to see. For Yuko Shimizu fans... they sell the mural shirts here too. After all the searching for the Sonny Angel merch I was glad to find them in this bookstore and surprised my child with the plush. Customer service was excellent, they were very friendly and helpful. Great prices! The bookstore is located in the Mitsukoshi BGC in Taguig Metro Manila. Review #3294

They're located at the ground floor and the shop is big and had lots of stuff that I couldn't find…read morein other bookstores like the Canson Mi-teintes for my oil pastel artwork. Service is very slow though, and it was quite hard to find staff to ask questions with. I approached a staff and asked if it was possible for them to cut the board I was about to purchase as it was too big - she said no and walked away, seemingly in a hurry. The lines at the cashier were long and it took time for me to get my stuff paid.

Come late May or early June, students usually flock to National Bookstore for their endless supply…read moreof notebooks, pencil cases, expandable envelopes, packs of paper, backpacks, and correction tape--all of them brand new. The sheer diversity of school supplies being sold here makes it such an ideal place to visit before the start of the school year, especially if you find yourself lacking materials for a project and you can only make one stop to find what you need. Even though National Bookstore's products may be less fancy than other stores, I still end up here because I can buy everything in one go. Desk organizers, post-it notes, folders, Moleskine journals, pens, highlighters, scissors, glue, and heck, even a portable safe! If it's writing or organizer-related, National Bookstore probably has it. Shangri-La's National Bookstore used to have a kids section where you could sit down on the carpet and do nothing but read. I know this because I once spent an entire afternoon there after my mom left me to do some errand and forgot to pick me up. I remember reading Shiloh to pass the time. It's gone now, though. Walking through their aisles earlier today, I definitely think that the bookstore looks smaller. It's clear that National Bookstore tends to prioritize their supplies these days instead of their books, so there's no reading area anymore and you're pretty much expected to buy a book and go. Still, for what it's worth, National Bookstore stays true to its name by providing a variety of materials in one space.

I'm very ashamed to admit that I don't read as many books as I would want to. This also means that…read moreI don't hang around bookstores and I don't go gaga whenever there's a booksale. It's something that I would absolutely want to do more of and form a habit out of. Now allow me to put some titles of books to read on my Bucket List for the year. I've been told that Fully Booked is the place to be for every bookworm out there. Its extensive collection of books is not only sufficient but overwhelming. Before Fully Booked and Power Books, I think most people only had to rely on National Bookstore to get their share of good reads. Today, however, Fully Booked makes the options endless. While this branch may not be the biggest compared to their other branches, you can still probably get what you need. If they don't have a book that you're looking for, a Customer Service Representative will be happy to look at their other branches and find one for you. Great customer service right there! They also have the cutest little notebooks, pens and pads. While on the pricey, it's so hard to deny an adorable and colorful pen that sticks out its tongue.

With the loss of Fully Booked in Gateway, this Greenhills branch is probably the nearest to Cubao,…read morealthough not at all the most accessible. I can surely more easily make my way to other bookstores, but the beauty and quality of Fully Booked is undeniable and inescapable--I just have to go to Greenhills, if only for that. Their selection of books is excellent, naturally, and I do appreciate their area of knick-knacks and doodads, plus the fact that they still carry music CDs is charming. They have a respectable comic book area, and a proper discount sale rack, like any good bookstore. How can you not keep coming back here? I do get to frequent Greenhills regardless of how hard it is to get to, and I've borne witness to Fully Booked's transformation from when it had a ground level entrance through its comic book section to its current sprawling, labyrinthine space. For many it can be a confusing set-up, but I like how weird the space is, with its many nooks and crannies. It gives you the feeling that you can just hide out with a book in one of the corners and lose your time there.

Nobody was willing to help. Either staff were busy with their task or chatting with other staff…read more Noone offers to help you find things. The cashier was not nice.

We stopped by here to look for books for my classes, but I didn't find anything that would be…read moreuseful. What I drooled over were their stock of stationery and pens. Omg their selection of pens is pretty incredible. There were several aisles of different kinds and colors of pens, markers and pencils imaginable. I was so tempted to buy pens 'cause they were so inexpensive, but then I saw the line and I didn't want to wait. It's Christmas time so it's a super busy time in the mall. This bookstore also had lots of toys on the ground floor, and art and school supplies on the 2nd floor.

I love this bookstore for the reason that it sells stuff, more than just books, that I can't get…read moreanywhere else. They have really cute trinkets that can be used in school or in the office. Place is usually not crowded and it really has the quiet library vibe, minus the irritable librarian. I also admire the sales people because they are very helpful and they always assist you in finding the book or magazine that you need. If you're the busy mom or the ate that doesn't want to be bugged by the kids while shopping, there is a small nook here where you can leave the little rascals and keep them occupied while you go around the mall. Just make sure they are old enough to stay by themselves or you can have yaya watch over them. Books are arranged neatly according to topic and field so you can easily locate the ones that you are interested in. So if you're the bookworm who loves to immerse himself in a lot of reading, this is definitely the place to go to.

Powerbooks is National Bookstore masquerading as a specialty bookstore to divert attention from the…read morefact that they hold the monopoly for the book business in the Philippines. In all fairness, when they were starting out, they did carry specialized titles that National Bookstore didn't have. As a bookstore freak, I remember nagging my parents to bring me to Powerbooks when they still had only one branch in Makati. I'd always come out with a smile on my face. I bought my Snoopy comics there and during the height of my Spice Girl fandom, I actually ordered their giant hardbound book. In hindsight, it was a humongous waste of money. I wonder why my parents even let me buy it. Anyway, that's not the point. Powerbooks is the place to go when you want to be surrounded by more books than supplies. Nowadays, I can hardly tell the difference between Powerbooks than National Bookstore.

I have this problem where I cannot walk into a bookstore and then walk out empty handed. I'm a big…read morebookworm and saying goodbye to an entire store filled with books without a book for myself is just unthinkable. That's like hiring a prostitute, giving her a hug, and then sending her away. Actually, it's worse than that. EXPLOIT THE OPPORTUNITY, methinks. This is especially hard when it comes to secondhand or cheap bookstores like Bookay-Ukay. This place is amazing. It is filled from ceiling to floor with books - and not the usual crap you see in chain bookstores, either. You can tell that these titles were handpicked by whoever manages this place, and you're sure to find something you like in this hole-in-the-wall. My girlfriend had to drag me away from these books. I wanted to buy the entire building.

Finally visited the store, saw one of my fave comic books and bought it. never knew that I could…read moreget one for a such a low-cost. I'll definitely visit the store again for sure.

Silahis is the best store I've found to buy souvenirs and handicrafts from all regions of the…read morePhilippines. It's set in a spacious old-Spanish-style house with 4 floors, so you can stay there during a whole day and you won't be able to see everything! Just amazing! There you can find solid wood furniture, colorful textiles, typical baskets, ceramics, collections of antiques...and of course the beautiful jewelry! Prepare yourself to get crazy with the mother of pearl items. They are my favourite ones and really represent the Philippines! In my opinion, a mother of pearl necklace or earring is a very nice gift :) Actually, all the items there at Silahis are great gift options. It's just hard to choose! What I like about this place is that it's organized in a way that customers can know exactly the origin of the products. There's always a tag explaining, for example, that the traditional textile you loved is from Zamboanga. I like this kind of information. It's nice to see how diverse the country is! if you need an interesting souvenir that really represents the Philippines, I wouldn't think twice. Silahis is THE place. Just make yourself sure you have plenty of time to spend there. You won't regret it.

This store is a jewel to me not because of the antiques, Philippine souvenirs, and the likes. To be…read morehonest, the prices of these are kinda steep knowing that you could get them at a cheaper cost at some nearby stores. What makes me go back here every time I get the chance to pass by Intramuros is their collection of vintage, and old books at the 2nd floor. Being a book lover and a researcher of anything that speaks of the glory past of the Philippines, the book collection in Silahis is a haven for me. Some books can go as low as P100 for three different titles. Some are rare-to-find books and though the price is rather steep, you would actually spend for it knowing the rarity of the book. When I Go here, I usually spend an hour or two here in this book store. You can actually open books, browse through it, decide if you're gonna buy or not. One thing you should have is PATIENCE. The books are rather stacked differently. The store usually arranges the books according to the author and/or by topic of interest. But don't fret, this hidden gem is really hidden. There's not much people that spend time here. So, I have unraveled one of my Manila's top secrets here. For book lovers, go here na.