Fresno City College students are skipping the long lines and high price tags at the bookstore for fast, cheaper alternatives.

Andres Perez, business major, said he saves money by renting  textbooks online. “You usually only need a textbook for that semester only,” Perez said. “So why would you pay full price on a book that you will only use a few times?”

Students like Perez turn to sites like Amazon and Chegg to buy or rent textbooks for much cheaper prices.

Nece White, a student who works at the bookstore, said that the bookstore is not her first option. “Personally, I turn to Chegg first for my books since they tend to be much cheaper,” White said.

“Mathematics with Applications” sells for $190 and rents for $108 at the college  bookstore. The same book rents for $70 on Chegg.com.

Fourth semester student Alexis Vang said she must maintain a full time job so she can afford tuition fees, car payment, a place to live and food to eat.

“It’s hard enough working full time and taking on 15+ units to graduate on time,” Vang said. “Having to pay for tuition alone with no financial help is tough; that is why I do all that I can to save money on my textbooks.”

Students complain that they are often asked to buy textbooks that are hardly used. Third year student Robert Vasquez says he purchased a book at full price and never used it at all.

“Much of the work was done online, and I feel like I could have chosen a cheaper option,” Vasquez said.

White explained that while most students tend towards the cheaper route by buying online, it’s not the case for everybody. She says that not everybody knows about online buying, especially the people who aren’t as tech savvy.