Secondhand book dealers do brisk business
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| Secondhand book dealers |
With the
rising cost of living and the ever increasing prices of text books in
bookshops, parents of school children have found a new heaven in second hand
books. These parents resort to the purchase of second hand or used books as the
only way out.
“I have two of my children in
secondary school. I came to this second hand book shop because the prizes of
school books are too exorbitant in bookshops. Also because government keeps
changing books for the same class year in year out, it is no longer possible
for child entering say form one to use the books that his elder brother used.
So the only way out is this second hand book dealers,” said a parent.
Because some of the prescribed
textbooks are not available in bookshops, most parents say the only alternative
open to them is the second hand book dealers, who do not only do exchange of
books but also sell at very affordable prices.
“Second hand books are cheaper
than new ones even though they have the same content. Also at times you can’t
find prescribed textbooks in bookshops and even when you find them they are so
expensive,” said another parent.
Yet, some parents say the resort
to second books only mitigates a bad situation. They complain that unlike
before when one textbook was prescribed for a subject, government now
prescribes several books that must be bought by parents.
However though, some second hand
book dealers still observe that business this year is not as good as it was
last year. They attribute this to the growing poverty in the country.
“I must say that things are not
the best this year as they were in past years. Usually during this period of
the year I make 200 hundred to 300 thousands fcfa daily. But it is not the case
this year,” said a second hand book dealer, who however noted that despite the
poor sales this year he can still put food on his table and also send his
children to school.
But over and above, most parents
agree that second hand book dealers are a blessing to them.
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