As David Melendez, a sophomore business major, picked up his check from Target, he knew exactly where his hard earned money was going to be spent—at the Stony Brook bookstore on expensive college textbooks. But on the first day of classes, he was surprised to hear about a new money saving option—textbook rentals.
Students who no longer wish to keep their textbooks or waste precious studying time by waiting on long lines to sell them back—for a fraction of the original cost—may want to consider the new program.
The program which launched this past spring semester is part of a pilot program by Barnes & Noble initiated at 25 schools across the country. SUNY Stony Brook and SUNY Brockport were among the 25. The option to rent a text is available in many classes but not all.
“We have always been committed to finding ways to help make textbooks more affordable for students,” said Karen DiScala, manager of corporate communications for Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. “We are delighted to be able to offer students another cost-saving option.”
According to the National Association of College Stores, students spend an average of $702 on books and course related materials. The textbook rental program offers a significant upfront savings. The cost of renting a book is 42.5 percent of the book’s retail cost. For example, a book that would cost $100 would instead cost only $42.50 under the new program.
Melendez spends about $300 a semester on books. This semester he was able to rent a textbook for his Technological Trends in Society course. “As long as renting is the cheaper option, I’d rather do it because I sell all my books back anyway and lose money,” Melendez said. This semester he saved $60 by renting just one book.
Renting the books is easy. Visit whywaitforbooks.com and input state and school information or go to the school store. While the books can be paid for upfront with cash, a credit card is necessary to be held on file in case the book is returned after the due date or damaged.
And although Melendez is a proponent of renting textbooks, he said the savings do not make up for the increase in tuition over the past few years. “Tuition has increased by hundreds over the past few years and even though renting textbooks will save money, the savings don’t really even out” Melendez said.
