Book lovers rejoice! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, yes – it’s that Christmas-y time of course, but it’s also time for the semi-annual Scholastic Books Warehouse Sale in Fresno!
I LOVE the Warehouse sale, and so does my son. Heading to the sale together has become a tradition, and with prices like the sale offers, it’s one we can afford to indulge in a bit.
This year’s winter sale began on Thursday, December 3rd and will run through Friday, December 19th. In order to go to the sale, you’ll need to first sign up for an entry pass (but trust me, you’ll want to do it in advance because when you do, you’ll also receive a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $50 or $25 off a purchase of $100). The Scholastic Warehouse is typically not open to the public, as it specifically serves local schools through book fair events for the majority of the year, the warehouse sale gives the general public a chance to shop for books for readers of all ages as a price far below retail. During the sale, the warehouse is open on weekdays from 11am – 7pm and Saturdays from 9am – 5pm. (Closed on Sundays.)
What you should know before you go:
- Sign up for your pass prior to shopping on Scholastic’s website. (Click here.)
- The Warehouse is located on Brawley, just South of Shaw, across from the Kohl’s parking lot. It is not climate controlled, so bundle up – you’ll likely be looking around for awhile and it gets chilly.
- The Warehouse is BIG. Plan to give yourself a solid hour or more to look around. There is a lot to see.
- All books, book sets and related items (bookmarks, pencils, diaries, craft kits, etc.) are between 20 and 80% off the cover price, though prices aren’t always clearly marked. As you shop, color coding is helpful, however there are times you may not know if the book you want is 20% off, 80% off or somewhere in between. I recommend selecting the books you want, stacking them in order from most-wanted to kinda-wanted (technical term, I know) and ringing up until you hit your budgeted book total. There are bins near the register to put any books you decide not to keep into.
- At the very front of the warehouse, you’ll see a large table with “Damaged Books” – these books may have ripped covers, missing pieces (example a Lego book missing the accompanying minifigure) or slightly bent edges. You can fill an entire box of these items for only $10, regardless of how many you select, so long as they fit in the box.
- If you look to your left once you pass the Damaged Book table, you’ll see the $24 Book Box area. Select all the items you want from this area that fit in one of the provided boxes for just $24. (The selection in this area changes throughout the sale as items sell out.)
- Though the Scholastic Warehouse mostly serves school book fairs, the items they sell are for all ages. Titles include everything from board books to memoirs written for adults and everything in between.
If you love to read, or have book lovers on your Christmas list, I highly recommend you make the time to go to the sale before it ends. There are books for all budgets, and it’s also a great way to check off many of the children on your list at a very reasonable price – plus, almost every parent LOVES when their child receives a great book as a gift. Books don’t make lots of noise, big messes or require batteries. Plus – they help kids to get smarter and learn more about the world around them! Yay books!
A few of my personal favorite finds from this year’s sale:
- The Sweet Scent of Christmas – a scratch and sniff book I remember well from my childhood, only snagging a new copy means the scratch and sniff stickers in it actually have scent to them still!
- The Pioneer Woman Dinnertime Cookbook – I LOVE all of her recipes! I’d already bought this book prior to the sale, but I was happy to see it there.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and boxed sets – these are my son’s current favorite books.
- Origami Yoda Books – another series my son is excited to read (just $3 at the sale!)
- Nicholas Sparks books – they had at least three titles at the sale. What can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic, I can’t help but love Sparks’ stories.
Have a great time at the sale! Let me know about the amazing books you find in the comments section!
Awesome, Thank you Natali for letting us know! 😉