Culturally Preconditioned

Just wanted to share this picture I took yesterday. Apparently, cats loving durians are not uncommon. So I tried to give some to my cats. OJ took a short whiff and scrammed away almost immediately. LOL. It was a funny sight.

I should be glad my cats are not the types that.. you know.. have cravings for ‘weird’ food. I tried to see if they’d eat ‘bad things’ for cats, like ice cream, chocolate and milk, but they don’t seem to be interested at all. I even tried to give them rice, and some boiled chicken and fish, but they’d just snub it all off.. which gives me comfort in knowing that I can leave MY food unsupervised in the kitchen or on the dining table.

There’s only one thing that I wish OJ doesn’t have a penchant for. My hair. He loves licking my hair when I’m in bed trying to read my novels. Most times I just have to swat him away, cause cat tongues are ROUGH, but it does feel nice and endearing sometimes (but I have to be ignorant of the fact that his tongue have probably just been all over his crotch earlier).

Possibly one of the more difficult things for me to do.. because I actually love MPH. Maked that loved. They ended their boycott by selling the HP books again to their customers a few days ago.. but again, I don’t give a flying rat’s as about the HP books.

From their latest press release :

“As a goodwill gesture, MPH, Times, Popular and Harris Bookstores said they would sell the book at a 25% discount for their members. Walk-in-customers will enjoy a 20% discount provided they make other purchases.

….

MPH Bookstores (M) Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Patricia Chen said they had resolved the issue with the publisher and would now like to meet the request of customers to sell the book. 

She said the decision to sell the book was also taken in view of the many readers who wrote to newspapers asking why the stores were not selling the novel.“

Mmmm.. yeah.. that’s like finally realizing that bears DO INDEED shit in the woods.

Their ‘boycott’ may be over, but mine certainly isn’t. You may get back your customers with the discounted price.. but this is ONE customer you’ll never get back again.. because (yes I’ve said this again and again.. but I’ll say it again).

YOU HAVE JUST PROVEN YOU HAVE ZERO CONFIDENCE IN YOUR CUSTOMERS.

YOU HAVE JUST PROVEN YOU HAVE ZERO FAITH IN YOUR CUSTOMERS.

YOU HAVE JUST PROVEN THAT YOU HAVE ZERO RESPECT FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS. 

YOU BASICALLY JUST TOLD YOUR CUSTOMERS TO FUCK OFF. 

So fuck off, MPH. I’m just one measly reader and I’m sure this probably won’t matter. So go do what the fuck you think is best for your other existing customers. Cause I’m done with you.
~ goes back into lurking/away mode ~

Let’s get one thing out of the way before I start off this rant. I am definitely NOT a Harry Potter fan. I have never (or ever will) read a Harry Potter book. Ever. Absolutely no fucking desire to do so. I will force myself to watch Titanic, before I’ll ever consider touching a Harry Potter book. I’ve seen the movies and enjoyed the books movies, but that. is. all. Personally I think adult HP fanatics are freaks, even moreso than Trekkies.. but to each his own. But the hype over this is too annoying. It is so overrated that I am sincerely hoping that Harry Potter dies in this final installment, to end it once and for all. But that’s probably wishful thinking on my part.

Anyway, I’m here because I am COMPELLED to rant over this stupid Harry Potter price war in Malaysia.

What in the holy of all fucks were MPH and the other 3 ‘major’ retail stores that nobody gives a shat, were thinking? They’re shelving off the Harry Potter books from their outlets just because Carrefour and Tesco are selling it at a lower price of RM69.90 ????

Worse case of mogok and sour grape in Malaysian history ever. You might as well close shop and post a sign on the outside that says “pegi la beli kat tempat lagi murah tu.. haa pegi la pegi la… dont come here”. Stupid pieces of shits.

First up, the two hypermarts didn’t just started selling books recently. They’ve been selling books as long as I can remember. Secondly, it’s not as if the 4 big kahunas didn’t know from months before that the hypermarts will be selling the HP books. Where was the furor then, eh? Dumbfucks?

The reason they gave was because it’s not fair.. they’re not proper bookstore.. they will taint the integrity of the business.. wah wah wah.. fucking blah shit blah look at poor me will suffer losses. What cunts.

Please lah.. biar la diorang nak jual murah ke.. bagi free ke.. ko kisah apa. Buat je la business cam biasa.. ni macam budak kecik.. nak boycott konon.

I don’t even understand the logic behind this move.. maybe because I’m ‘not in the book business’. Come fucking on lah. I may not be in the book business, but I am a consumer. But more importantly, I am.. or make that WAS… a really loyal MPH customer. I have worked for them (briefly) and have been a patron for the past 20 years. I don’t fucking care which bookshops sell the cheapest book. I almost ALWAYS go to MPH to find my books, regardless the price. And I believe I’m not the only loyal MPH customer to do that. And now they pull this shit.

Why am I getting all riled up about this? I dont even like Harry Potter right? I know. But what if I was? What if it was a new Stephen King, Alex Garland or Ben Elton book. How the fuck can they do this to their customers. They’ve been in business since before I was born.. but has the saying “customers always comes first” been replaced by “fuck the customer.. they can go to the other place” instead? It’s not even “fuck the customer.. let them choose where they want to go”, because they didn’t give the customers (other than the ones who have prebooked) the option of buying at their place.

Seriously.. stupid mega cunts. I know it’s probaby not going to matter to you, cause I am only ONE STUPID SINGLE ex-LOYAL customer of yours, but what you pulled has guaranteed me that I will never ever buy a single item from your shop again. Good luck shitheads.

I’m not rallying other people to go against them (not that I’ll even succeed if I try), but this is just my own personal feelings on it. I know I will never ever buy anything from them ever again. I’d rather order by stuff from Amazon which would be way cheaper (postage included), dumbasses. I wouldn’t even want any of my future publications to be associated with you fuckers. I’ve spent a lot at MPH, in the regions of four figures annual-fucking-ly for the past couple of years. I don’t see any reason why I should spend an additional single Malaysian cent (which is worth shit these days) at this bookstore ever again. Eat cock la.. MPH.
I don’t care who sells the books at whatever price. As long as I get the book from my favorite bookstore, even if it costed me more… I wouldn’t mind paying. As long as I have the books in my hand at the end of the day, I’m happy. I think I have only bought one single book from Carrefour as long as I can remember. Again, I’m not pro Tesco or Carrefour. I’m just a really REALLY pissed off MPH customer. And this is over a book that I actually HATE. Imagine if I was really looking forward towards the release of this book.

I guess it all boils down to greed. Loyalty means shit these days.The only thing that you have fucking proven by doing this, MPH, is that you have absolutely ZERO FAITH in your customers. Well done.
Hatefully yours,

A writer that is not afraid to rightfully bite the hands that fed him.

~back to Away mode~