By Kirsten Nguyen, The Whetstone
Many Wesley Students act like Jeremy Wirick when it comes to getting textbooks.
He rents his books offline, saving money rather than paying full price for a new textbook.
“The bookstore is too expensive, I just order them off Amazon,†the sophomore said.
Each semester students ask themselves a question that potentially involves a lot of money – where to get their textbooks, the Wesley Bookstore or online.
“I get my books from the bookstore,†sophomore Logan Minner said. “I’m impatient and wait till the first day of class and the lines are shorter then.â€
He said he rents them because they’re cheaper.
“I’m not going to use them after that semester,†Minner said.
Last semester, 9,499 books were rented and bought from the Wesley Bookstore. Most of the books from the store were rentals. There were 1,966 more books rented than bought.
Once students knows their schedule, they can go to the Wesley Bookstore to find what materials they need. Students may also use the website to get the ISBN numbers of the books so they may buy online.
“With used books, rentals and the ability to get the students the correct course material, we are pushing to be the No. 1 choice,†Wesley Bookstore Manager Kris McGlothlin said.
Wesley students who don’t buy their books from the bookstore look to online sites.
“I got my books from Chegg.com because they were cheaper and easier to return than the store,†freshman Kate Schoof said.
The Wesley book store policy states you can return the book the first week of classes with the original receipt, and full refunds are given within the first 30 days with proof of schedule change and the original receipt. After that, you cannot return the book, and digital books aren’t returnable once the content has been accessed. However, with Chegg, you can return a book within 21 days of your purchase and can return digital books within 14 days. Unlike the bookstore, Chegg doesn’t require proof of a schedule change and you’re able to return digital books.
“My last stop is the Wesley Bookstore if I’m running out of time,†senior Kia Smith said.
Like many other Wesley students, Smith gets her books from Amazon.
There are websites such as CheapestTextBooks.com and Dealoz.com where students can search textbooks and the website will bring up the cheapest prices from different retailers.
Thinking Mathematically, the required textbook for MA180, costs $94 to rent, $209 to buy new, $156 used, at the bookstore. When using the two websites for the best prices, Amazon priced the rental of this book at $20, much cheaper than renting from the bookstore.
“Just search around and see where you get it cheapest,†Wirick said.
Kirsten Nguyen Social Psychology textbook prices
Social Psychology 9th Edition
| Buying Option: | Amazon | Chegg |
| Rent | $47.34 | $68.49 |
| Buy | $210.84 | $160.99 |
| EBook | $100.99-147.99 | $102.02 |
Kirsten Nguyen Writing and Reporting News textbook prices
Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method 8th Edition
| Buying Option: | Amazon | Chegg |
| Rent | $18.00 | $19.99 |
| Buy | $181.53 | $118.99 |
| EBook | $50.68-103.99 | $50.68-86.11 |
Kirsten Nguyen Mathematics textbook prices
Thinking Mathematically 6th Edition
| Buying Option: | Amazon | Chegg |
| Rent | $20 | $24.99 |
| Buy | $188.17 | $91.49 |
| EBook | $85.99-125.99 | $89.10 |
