Books.

Being a college student, I am no stranger to textbooks. Better yet, I am no stranger to the "HELP, I'M BEING ROBBED!" reaction that you get when you purchase said textbooks.

My university, like many others, has a program where the bookstore will buy back old textbooks from past semesters. If you know you're going to need the extra cash for your following semester, the program will supposedly work as a buffer for the coming expenses. Supposedly.

So, I figured I'd give the program a shot. It's better than nothing, right?

Wrong, actually. It's pretty much nothing.

The amount they offer for your books is so painfully low that most students immediately assume the fetal position and begin rocking back and forth telling themselves it's all a dream. In my case, I was just so overcome with anger that all I could think of was slapping the greedy smirk right of the clerk's face. Do they really think students can afford to sell their books back for less than 10% of what they purchased them for?

Luckily at the register, as I was angrily taking back my books, a girl next to me who was also very upset with the program stopped me. "Hey, I need that book!" she said. "I'll buy it from you for more than these people will." She proceeded to tell me the approximate amount she paid for each of her books originally, how much they offered to buy them back for, how she planned to stick it to the man, and some other crap. I really didn't care. I just wanted her money so I could leave.

In the end, she paid three times the amount the bookstore offered me, and I got the satisfaction of smirking back at the clerk and mouthing, "That's how you do business."

But while I may have won this battle, I know they will ultimately win the war against my wallet. I'm really starting to hate college.