Lockers to be installed on Tulane campus for mail, package deliveries
Changes are coming to mail and package delivery on Tulane's Uptown campus. As Bruff Commons will soon come down to make way for a new residential complex, Tulane Mail Services was given the opportunity to reimagine how they provide services.
The key change is the move towards two separate locker systems for the delivery of packages and letters to residential students. Currently, mail and packages are delivered to campus, staff sort the packages, notify recipients, and students have to go to the Mail Services counter in Bruff Commons for pick-up. Once the locker system is implemented, 24/7 access to lockers will increase efficiency, eliminate long lines at Bruff, and allow students the opportunity to pick up their mail at a time that fits their schedule.
The first system, two Amazon locker bays — Diboll Locker on the south side of Diboll Parking Garage and Stern Locker under Stern Hall — will be installed on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and are expected to go live by Friday, Oct. 18. Together, these locker bays will have 130 individual locker spaces.
"Amazon Prime accounts for about 30 - 35% of student mail on campus. The installation of Amazon lockers means that students will have 24-hour access to their items, instead of only being able to pick up packages during our business hours. Additionally, since Amazon drivers deliver packages directly to the lockers, students won't have to wait for our staff to receive and process their Amazon packages — their items will be available as soon as they are delivered to campus," says J. Malbrough, director of Mail Services at Tulane.
To use the Amazon lockers, Tulane students should follow these steps when shopping on Amazon:
- Shop as usual: Add your selected items to your cart and proceed to checkout
- Select at checkout: Search using 70118 as your ZIP code to find the Tulane Amazon Lockers: Diboll or Stern. If there are available spaces, you will be able to select one of the lockers as your shipping address.
- Check your email: Wait for your delivery confirmation email from Amazon. This email contains your unique pick-up code.
- Pick up: Go to your selected Amazon locker at either Diboll or Stern within three days to claim your items. Follow the on-screen instructions, enter your pick-up code, and retrieve your items! Amazon lockers will only hold items for three days before they are returned to sender.
The second system of lockers will be installed in November. Nearly 500 mail and package lockers for deliveries from all other carriers, including USPS, will be located in the garden level of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. Rather than going to the counter in Bruff to pick up letter mail and other packages, students will receive an email notification from Mail Services when their items are delivered, and they can go to the LBC to pick up their mail at any time.
Whether out of necessity or to offer convenience, many universities are moving to a similar distributed package locker system. "This is a trend we are seeing in higher ed, and we are excited to bring this high-tech upgrade to Tulane," says Malbrough. "I hope that students will be patient with us during this transition. We will absolutely rely on their feedback throughout this process."
For more information on the package and mail lockers, click here.
