Everybody loves a deal. If you happen to be one of my friends, you know I am the girl who is always looking for a deal or way to get something for free. As a college student, what can I say, I’m usually low on cash after a weekend of bar hopping – or buying textbooks, of course.

So when I heard of a website called Renttherunway.com where you could “rent” designer dresses and items for only 10 percent of the retail value I was intrigued to find out more. The first time I had heard of this concept was with the website, Bagborrowandsteal.com. Made popular in the movie “Sex and the City,” this site boasted the opportunity of renting designer handbags that usually cost $2,000 for a fraction of the cost.

The offer was to take the bag for a week or a month and then ship it back to the company for free. They say it’s for the new “smart and savvy shopper,” and embodies the fact people just cannot afford items in this luxury market after the economic environment fell off a cliff in flames.

Also, consumer behavior today is changing in big ways. With job cuts and lower pay, people are spending less on label items and trying to shave off dollars from everything they do. People are becoming more creative, in that they don’t want to completely give up their pleasures of going out to eat, shopping, trips or fancy coffees. This is why the most popular sites today are ones like Restaurants.com, Weartodaygonetomorrow.com and Renttherunway.com.

To find out more about the success and appeal of the Renttherunway site, I sat down with two of their campus ambassadors. Jessica Cabrera and Jaime Horak are both seniors majoring in retail and active members of the Student Retail Association on campus.

Gina: What do you enjoy about being an ambassador?

JC: I like how it’s…. flexible to work, and we can make our own schedules.

JH: Pretty much you put in what you want to get out of the job. Plus, many people around campus don’t know about the site so we are going to educate people and ask them to join.

JC: It’s huge on the coasts and in the south, so it’s our job to get the Midwest involved.

G: So give me the rundown of your tasks.

JC: Right now we go to sororities and organizations to talk because that’s where we will get groups of girls. It’s easy to promote because it is an uncomplicated and amazing program with quality designer dresses that are right off the runway.

JH: And there is a Facebook group, which you should join, wink wink, where we can post styles we like and dresses we would wear. Also, we are focusing on the Greek system a bunch since they are the ones that go to formals and have to dress up on a regular basis. We also are targeting girls that are turning 21 and want a cute dress to wear and know she will look good in (especially on Facebook).

G: What do you like about the site?

JC: I love the options and the simplicity of the site. I think that appeals to people our age. Also I like that many of the dresses you can wear out at night to a party and wear with leggings the next afternoon.

JH: And you can get a designer dress for $50!

JC: It’s an opportunity for girls that want to dress up to get something that they can wear once and then don’t have it collecting dust in their closets. And we know that most girls see that they are tagged in pictures wearing it on Facebook for that event and then won’t wear it again for a long time.

JH: Also on the site it’s easy for girls to come on and sort by their favorite designers to find dresses. Then the website also e-mails them new looks and styles a few times a month.

G: Have you ever borrowed a dress?

JC: Not yet…but I have an orange bandage dress waiting for me in my shopping cart for the right date.

G: What if you stain the dress or break it when you go to a party?

JH: You can get insurance on it for $5 and the site will cover any damages.

G: Well, I don’t know if you are drunk and fall down the stairs and tear it in half they will, but for most minor damages that’s awesome. What if the dress doesn’t fit?

JC: They give you another size along with the one you ask for free of charge so that you always have the best fit.

G: Anything else?

JC: Watch out for us on campus with our new tagline, “Have a one night stand (with fashion).”