Kennedy Jones
Staff Writer
It is a sad time for many Jackson State University students. Why you ask? Textbook Rentals has closed for good.
Before there was Chegg, there was Textbook Rental’s. Conveniently located right down the street from the university, for decades this bookstore was the go-to option for many JSU students who could not afford to pay for costly textbooks.
Textbook Rentals announced the closing of their Jackson location on Jan. 3 via email. They wrote:
“We started our business to help you guys with the cost of textbooks and we have tried our hardest however, unfortunately, with a heavy heart we will not be reopening our Jackson location due the economic changes in the textbook industry.”
The announcement left many Jackson State students shocked, including Amber Johnson, a junior biology major from Greenville, Miss.
“I was shocked when I got the email because I thought they would never close down. Financial Aid pays for my books, so I would go to Textbook Rentals every semester to save as much money as I could to have a decent amount of refund money. Now I have to go to the bookstore and pay way more than what I would pay at Textbook Rentals,” said Johnson.
Zakaria Gary, a junior biology major from Greenwood, Miss., said she is not looking forward to the large amount of money that she will have to pay at the JSU bookstore.
“I was distraught when I heard that Textbook Rentals was closing. Being a STEM major, some of my textbooks are $400! I’m broke. I cannot afford to buy my textbooks from Chegg and Amazon with my own money. Textbook Rentals took the SuperCard and they are cheaper than the bookstore,” said Gary.
The JSU Bookstore recently added a new price matching system for students to purchase their books at a lower price.
If students cannot get their books from the bookstore, they can go online to www.jacskonstateshop.com and find the book to place an order. Students can also check the website to see if a digital version of the book exists. For more information on ordering books students can email jsu@bkstr.com.
When asked about his reaction to the bookstore closing, Jordan Scott, a music education major from Jackson, Miss, hilariously replied, “Roses are read, violets are blue. Textbook Rentals is gone. Now, what am I gonna’ do?”
