No one has an hour to waste standing in line at the bookstore.
With websites like Amazon.com and Half.com on the rise, textbooks now come from the store to your door with just one click.
Students have more options this year at the University Bookstore with textbook rental, which is now online and more convenient for busy students. With so many choices, it raises the question of which method is more efficient.
"The majority is still sales instead of rentals, but not all books are rentable," said Greg Neuman, director of the University Bookstore. "About 35 percent of our titles are rentable."
Both on-campus bookstores and book websites are flooded during the first week of classes. The university's bookstore has its own website and the volume of online purchases is increasing every year.
"College store industry competition has gotten a lot tougher in recent years. It's mainly the Internet and the fact that students have so many choices," Neuman said. "It's affected not just our market, but all college stores, that students have so many choices now. That's why we have to do a better job to attract the students back to the store."
The competition may be getting a little more intense this year.
A new website called book.ly has not only gained attention among college students, but offers even more savings on course books.
Igor and Roman Pedan, founders of the book.ly website, have created a site to buy and sell textbooks without the hassles of long lines and high prices. UB has just been added to the list of over one thousand schools nationwide that are affiliated with the website.
"There are so many other things you want to do on the first week of school, like catch up with friends and sign up for clubs," said Lisa Cuesta, director of marketing for book.ly. "You save the time you would be spending on line, at the bookstore, or just searching for the best price online."
Cuesta, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010, spent hours searching websites looking for the best prices. Currently, Cuesta works alongside the other four members of the team to promote the website to other college students.
"It's been a really interesting experience. I've never worked on such a small team with such a big operation," Cuesta said. "Finding the ways to let [students] know about book.ly has been a really interesting challenge for me. I've had a lot of fun with it."
The website lists books from lowest to highest price, making it easier for students to find the cheapest option from a number of different textbook websites. Different shipping options are also available in order for students to receive their selections in time for classes.
While buying textbooks online is fast and efficient, the process has its drawbacks.
Matt Kopalek, a senior in the School of Management, faced issues with buying textbooks online before. Kopalek ordered another book online this semester, but is not sure if it will arrive in time for class.
"The student needs to find out if saving a couple dollars is worth waiting for the book to arrive, and the possibility of the wrong book," Kopalek said.
With all of the choices that are available for purchasing textbooks, the decision comes down to what the student prefers.
"One of the big internal struggles students face is the question of ‘will I need this book for my career?' Or, ‘do I want to read this book for future courses or for my own future pleasure?'" Kopalek said. "You never know that when you judge a book by its cover."
