Manila, Philippines – Iconic local bookstore National Book Store has recently faced backlash from netizens after it suggested in a recent tweet a short name change called ‘Nash’, an allude to the rising popularity of ‘conyo’ lingo in the country, or the use of shortened mix of Tagalog and English words in daily conversations.
On September 19, the official Twitter account of NBS posted a tweet saying ‘Call me National, Nash for short’.
Following the tweet, a large majority of local netizens have criticised the proposed name change, with many saying they hope they don’t push said name change.
In addition, the tweet sparked complaints from various netizens complaining about NBS’ services, with some complaining about the store’s lack of school supply amenities, high price mark-up on books sold in physical stores, as well as the poor ventilation and display of several of the bookstore’s branches.
In a response given to Philstar Life, a spokesperson for National Book Store said that the brand’s commitment to providing customers with quality products and service remains unchanged no matter what they name the store.
“Regardless of how they call us – NBS, Natio, or Nash – we remain committed to providing an ideal shopping experience in all of our branches nationwide. We also wish to express our gratitude to all of our customers who returned to their back-to-school shopping at National Book Store, especially after 2 long years without face-to-face classes,” the spokesperson said.
The National Book Store was formally established in 1942 by Socorro Cancio-Ramos and José Ramos. It has 230 branches nationwide, and is the largest bookstore chain in the country.
