Tall, discreet lockers stand at the Drescher Graduate Campus and by Banowsky Hall. The lockers are shiny and beige, blending in with the wall behind them. These lockers are the new package retrieval system on campus which give students 24/7 access to their packages.
The Package Concierge Smart Lockers opened to students Aug. 21, replacing the former system of retrieving packages from the Student Mail Area in the Lighthouse or Central Receiving, said Meghan McGuire, director of campus operations. The University introduced the smart lockers to create a more convenient way for students to access their packages, McGuire said.
“We wanted to be proactive in trying to provide the best experience possible to our students,” McGuire said.
The previous package retrieval system often involved long wait times at the Student Mail Area or Central Receiving and limited access to Mail Services based on its business hours, 9 a.m., to 4 p.m., senior Sherlene Wei said. Wei hasn’t received any packages through the smart locker system yet, but she said the lockers are a step in the right direction.
“I like that they’re [the University] trying to make it [package retrieval] more convenient and accessible,” Wei said.
Through the new system’s Package Concierge app, students can track their package’s location and go to their assigned locker to retrieve their package, Mail Services wrote in an Aug. 12 email to the Pepperdine community.
McGuire said the University also wanted to add the lockers to decrease foot traffic at Mail Services’ operations pad.
As for student workers in Mail Services, McGuire said the University will not need as much of their support as they have in the past.
“With not carrying packages to the Lighthouse anymore, there’s a little bit of a reduced need down there [for student workers],” McGuire said.
Junior Ashley Reyes said she has worked for Mail Services since fall 2022. She said her role as a student mail worker hasn’t had any significant changes since the introduction of the lockers. However, adjusting to the new system has been a challenge.
“A lot of students are coming in actually and asking questions [about the lockers], and because I’m not very familiar, it is new,” Reyes said. “Just makes everything so much more difficult.”
McGuire said company couriers will now carry the packages directly to the lockers, instead of to Mail Services, where they were previously distributed to the Student Mail Area.
___________________
Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic
Contact Millie Auchard via Instagram @millieauchard or email: millie.auchard@pepperdine.edu
