Post Office Launches After Hours Package Pilot Program
The bell rings, marking the start of universal free as Exonians swarm the Academy Center. Some make a beeline for their mailboxes, hoping to find a laminated card with the bold letters “PACKAGE” before joining the line at the service desk. This is a new scene. In order to expedite package delivery to students, the Post Office has been piloting a self-service pickup system for the past two weeks that allows students to collect deliveries on their own time.
The program utilizes six lockers located in the lobby next to the ATM. Following an email alerting students to the arrival of their packages, a lettered key is placed in their mailbox, which opens a locker holding their packages. Students are then supposed to pick up their parcels in a timely manner and deposit the key in a bin at the service window so the locker can be reused.
The impetus for this program was the 300 plus packages the Mailroom receives. “So many packages are coming in a day now, that we have to figure out a way to get them shipped out to students in a timely manner,” Mailroom Supervisor Joe Goudreault said.
Goudreault went on to talk about how quickly distributing the growing number of packages via lockers would free up limited space in the mailroom and at the same be convenient to students.
An additional reason was student convenience. According to the mailroom, package pickup time is normally from 11:30 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. For those with overwhelming schedules, this time frame does not provide enough options.
Senior Maggie Hock, one of the few students randomly selected to participate in the pilot, found the program very helpful. “This is very convenient, and I didn’t have to stress about picking up my package between classes,” she said.
Similar to Hock, upper Ademide Kosoko, another pilot participant, added, “This program helps me because it organizes all my packages in one place for me, so I don’t need to tell the PO how many packages I have. It also reduces the amount of time I would have to wait in line because there [is] no line for me to wait in.”
Hock believes the locker system is a great service and hopes that it will continue. “I think a lot more students could benefit greatly from these lockers, and I hope they will add more lockers to the mailbox area and continue the program,” she said.
However, Senior Manager of Procurement and Business Services Janelle Ozols identified a few issues with the pilot. “The current locker system outside the mailroom requires keys that can get misplaced or not returned. We are also experiencing delays in students picking up their packages, longer than the 24 [hour] time period we suggest.”
Goudreault added that the success of the locker system depends on students collecting their packages quickly enough for the mailboxes to be reused. “This is a pilot program and I wanted to make sure student[s] have input and understand that we need a quick turnaround in order to move as many boxes as possible after hours,” he said.
Focused on continually improving their service, the Post Office is looking to replace the key locks with keypads and ordering six more lockers. Another possibility is bringing an Amazon Hub to campus. According to Ozols, the Hub, provided by the online shopping platform Amazon, provides the recipient of a package an automatic notification with a code for when it’s ready for pick up. Common carriers like UPS, FedEx and USPS can deliver to the Hub directly, reducing package flow to the Mailroom.
The space and cost requirements of expanding the lockers and adding a Hub are still being evaluated. Ozols says “The aim [of the Hub] is to provide 24/7 access to deliveries for Faculty and, eventually, students, and in turn, free up space in the mailroom.”