Being in the field of education, I never really outgrew shopping for first day of classes…read more Nowadays, it seems hectic and such a struggle because of the crowd, but for me, tyempuhan lang. I love shopping for school supplies - fresh sharpies and white board markers, erasers, colored paper, gel pens, STAMPS. I am obsessed with them. But sometimes, school supply stores don't carry certain items, let alone cute ones. Since I live relatively near National's Bookstore along Katipunan, I feel lucky that I can easily access a wide range of books and materials. PROS: This store is huge and wide! One part for books and the other for school and office supplies - but equally gargantuan in space. This means so much choices and variety;O of the things I like about National Bookstore is that a lot of their wares are affordable. You may get to spend a fortune only after filling up your cart or maybe buying book sets. CONS: It's on the older side so it's not as modernly designed as, say, the Trinoma branch; The attendants are a bit grumpy. We all have our bad days, I guess. TL;DR: I am loyal and a fervent customer of National Bookstore, and this branch cements my devotion to the store.

National Book Store is one of the largest and most popular bookstore chains out there. Despite the…read moreincrease of trendier bookstores in the Philippines like Power Books and Fully Booked, National Book Store still remains on top. Unlike its counterparts, National Book Store sells books and supplies at very affordable prices. They have a wide selection of cheap and premium items and they are always complete. I have been to other bookstores trying to look for supplies I needed in school, but they are always incomplete. I just hope that other bookstores would finally start offering things that people actually need, rather than selling cute and expensive key chains and stuffed toys that are completely unnecessary. I also like the National Book Store branch in Katip, because it's so big. It has two floors and it will literally take you half an hour to explore the whole place. National Book Store also sells popular bestselling novels. You can pre-order any book online.

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.

National Bookstore is synonymous with school supplies. I mean, this business has established itself…read moreas the go to place for anyone who needs school or office supplies. However, no National Bookstore can, for me at least, compare to this particular National Bookstore in Alabang Town Center. The reason why this is special is simply because of the fact that this is where I and my sisters used to buy our school supplies at the beginning of the year or when we needed something for our project. It's now located at the new wing, not the latest one though, and used to be a part of what is today the Metro Department Store. This is by far one of the biggest National Bookstores out there. Given the amount of traffic that it receives I don't think there's any reason why it's going away anytime soon. Go in and browse through their books or maybe buy whatever school or office supplies that you need.

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 chain was a favorite from when I grew up here. It never disappoints. I still love the items…read morethey sell other than only books :)

My Bookstore since birth!!!…read more National Bookstore sell beyond books. They have pens and diaries for planners like myself... they have scrapbooking materials and crafting materials for frustrated artists like myself... they also have office and school supplies for professional students like myself... ...all the while providing thousands of wonders and universes in their books for dreamers like myself!

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.

When I discovered the Popular Bookstore, I felt a bit like Ali Baba discovering the treasure trove…read moreof the Forty Thieves. I could feel the history and knowledge the BUILDING exuded, and I haven't even walked through the doors of the bookstore yet. Situated along Tomas Morato, this literary giant has obviously seen better days, but that is not to say it will stop fighting to survive. This is the best place for books published post-war, as well as limited edition titles and books by local authors. The best thing to do here is to just walk through the books and feel their connection to history because they, like this store, have seen history - and at an affordable price, you can bring them home (the books, not the store) and experience it for yourself.

I remember as a nerdy kid, who would be excited by the thoughts of books and bookstores, being…read moretaken to Popular Bookstore and being unimpressed. Coming back a little older, I see that the place has a niche market all its own, that wasn't exactly meant to capture the silly little tyke I was back then. I remember Popular being a lot bigger than it was now. Going into Popular's stairway entrance and passing by the numerous framed quotes and paintings and photos along the way you see what you're getting into, and it can be a little intimidating. Contrary to its name, few popular titles would be found here. It's a bookstore for intellectuals and academics and is quite unapologetic about it. They carry a lot of hard-to-find literature and many local publishers, which can be had at likely less of a cost than you would in the bigger bookstores. Their second, "main" floor houses a lot of the books you'd end up getting, if any, though the third floor might be a little more interesting, with its bin of bargain books and a lot of other selections, among them beautiful, old hardbounds. With the more expansive space upstairs, they could probably stand to house workshops, or small zine and art collectives, or spoken word gatherings. Just a thought!

As a bookworm, a craftswoman, a scrapbooker, a writer, an artist, a musican, a student, a…read moreshopaholic; I can find what I need for all of these personal sides in National Bookstore. Whenever I want a new book to read, I would go straight to NBS because they have updated lists of books that came out usually a month before. I also like how they classify the books, from genre to genre. Not only that, NBS in Q Ave. offers a P-O-B section (previously owned books), in which you can buy reference and educationL books for a much discounted price. Don't worry, they're still in good condition, otherwise they wouldn't sell them. NBS also has an area for crafts and scrapbooking, and almost everything you need for your school project is right there! What's great about NBS is that they also have art materials, and score sheets for musicians such as myself. They also have school supplies which are extensive in brand, quantity, item type and quality. They also sell wonderful planners that suit to your every need and very personality. If you get hungry, go and sit down in their food stalls, and maybe afterwards go to the supermarket to buy groceries for next week!

Growing up, there are two reasons why I loved shopping at National Bookstore. First, National…read moreBookstore carried everything you needed for school - pencils, ball pens, highlighters, tape, pad paper (all kinds), bond paper, construction paper, art paper and even Japanese paper, just to name a few. Second, I wasn't paying for it. National Bookstore has always been my source for that latest Harry Potter book, or even the next segment of the Percy Jackson series. They carry books that kindergarteners could read, all the way up to the romance novels that your auntie or lola would be spending the afternoon with. They also have a lot of informative books and magazines to suit your needs. Now that National Bookstore has so many branches nationwide, their selection and prices are really the best you can get out there. Good quality and good prices really help when you're considering the fundamental needs to your child's education.