Why People Don't Rent Books

I read a lot of books in my spare time. When I have a surplus of free time in the Summer, I spend way too much money on books. So much so that I got in the habit of going to the bookstore several times a week to finish just one book (all read while in the store). This seems like a thrifty way of entertaining yourself until you consider some affiliated costs:

It took me roughly 5 trips to finish one book so..
5 * (9.4 mile round-trip/20 miles per gallon) * $2.70 (price of gas) = $6.35

Ok.. so it still seems like I save money on almost any book I would buy, but I could still save a bit more.

When in Singapore, I was elated to be near a bookstore to which you could return books for about the half the price you paid. I took full advantage of this. When I returned to the states however, I realized I could return books for the full price anyway. At this epiphany, I checkout $60 worth of books and was on my way.

The next week, I wanted somewhere air-conditioned and less sweaty to read so I went to the library. Right in the doorway, I see each one of the books I just purchased in their new release section.

I suddenly wondered why anyone would pay for a book.