Reading is one of my favorite things to do in this world. The bookshelves in my room are overflowing (literally) with books of all kinds. While Barnes & Noble is the most obvious place to purchase books, Amazon is superior in nearly every way.

Being on that infamous starving student budget, I always look for a deal when purchasing books. Amazon is much less expensive than Barnes & Noble. I love browsing Barnes & Noble but every time I visit the bookstore I am always reluctant to buy any books since they are so expensive. Amazon offers the exact same books for much less money. I can get the same book for $9.99 at Amazon or $16.99 at Barnes and Noble. Enjoying the experience of the bookstore isn’t worth the extra money. A book bought on Amazon has the same content as the same book bought at Barnes & Noble. I buy a book to read it; the quality of a book doesn’t change due to where it was purchased. I would much rather be able to buy a book for cheap off Amazon rather than pay a lot of money for the same book at Barnes & Noble.

Amazon is much more convenient than Barnes & Noble. Being in college means juggling a demanding and busy schedule.Because I have classes, work and other responsibilities, I often don’t have time to get in my car and drive over to Barnes & Noble to purchase a book. You can buy a book from Amazon at 2 a.m. in your pajamas in the comfort of your house. You can buy a book from Amazon on your smartphone while walking from Markstein Hall to the Social and Behavioral Science Building. You can buy a book from Amazon within 30 seconds. It just takes a few clicks. It’s that easy.

The selection available on Amazon is unsurpassable. Practically any book you could ever want to read is available on the website. With a bookstore, you have to hope that the book you want is in stock or even sold at that location. If not, you have to go to another store location or special order it, which means you have to make a second trip once it arrives. Save yourself the time and hassle and order from Amazon.

One last advantage to buying from Amazon is that by joining Amazon Smile (at no extra cost), Amazon will donate a portion of your sale to a charity of your choice. There are nearly a million charities to choose from, and once you select your desired charity, the donations are automatic.
Is Barnes & Noble the place to go for a nice experience while buying a book? Yes. However, buying books at Amazon saves time and money, both of which most college students (including myself) are short on.