By Kaitlin Carman
News Editor
Framingham State University’s brand-new Amazon locker, installed across from the Rams Resource Center, was open and operational on Jan. 23.
Amazon contacted the Facilities Department and discussed the possibility of the locker installation in September. It was approved in December and installed on Jan. 20, according to Maureen Fowler, director of environmental health & safety.
It is a free service that Amazon is providing FSU resident students.
Fowler said, “The FSU Storeroom receives many Amazon packages daily. The Storeroom staff currently delivers those packages to the Residence Halls in a bulk delivery each day.
“With the installation of the lockers, we hope that students can get their packages more quickly,” she added.
To designate packages to be shipped there, students must select the Amazon Locker - cosmologies - on 100 State Street, according to Fowler.
If a non-resident designates their order to be delivered to the locker, they will be unable to access it and it will be returned to Amazon.
To retrieve orders from the locker, resident-shoppers must scan a barcode provided in a confirmation email.
Students will still be able to use the FSU Storeroom to receive their mail and packages. However, Amazon packages directed there will be delivered on the next business day.
Designating orders to the locker will prevent any additional delay as it is accessible 24/7.
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Fowler reminded students via email that “All FSU purchase orders must be delivered to the FSU storeroom.” They cannot be sent to the locker.
The Storeroom is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. but is closed from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily. It is also closed on holidays.
“If you are using an FSU purchase order, please do not use the lockers. Items purchased with a purchase order need to be delivered to the Storeroom,” according to Fowler.
Students are unable to visit the Storeroom to pick up their packages. They must wait until it is delivered to their dorm, she added.
The locker’s outdoor location under West Hall was specifically selected for delivery driver accessibility, shelter from inclement weather, power supply access, and security camera surveillance, according to Fowler.
She said, “The Amazon representative was shown areas outside of other residence halls, and inside and outside of McCarthy Center, and the location by Maynard Road Parking Lot at the rear of West Hall was the preferred spot so deliveries can happen most efficiently.”
Leena Elbayoumi, a sophomore, said the locker will positively impact resident students as they “don’t have to go home to get their packages.”
Emma Dobbins, a freshman, said, “I think it's good because, I know personally, I’ve tried ordering from Amazon and it’s kind of confusing to put your dorm building in [for delivery instructions]. Now you can just put [it] as the Amazon locker and it’s a lot easier.”
Before the locker’s installation, she avoided the one-day-delayed delivery from the FSU storeroom by refusing to order packages to be delivered on-campus: “I avoided ordering here and just ordered it at home.”
Lauren Mazzarella, a junior, said, “I think it’s a more efficient and easy way to get your packages. It’s a little bit easier than the mailroom. Because it has certain hours, it’s hard to get mail.”
SGA Senator Billy Hubert said, “I think it’ll allow students to have easier access to their Amazon packages.
“The one time I ever used the Storeroom, I never got my letter. My mom sent me one like freshman year and I never saw it. I don’t know what happened to that,” said Hubert.
According to Marlee Griffin, a junior, when she tried to order an Amazon package to be delivered to the locker, she did not have the option to select it. She had it delivered to the Amazon locker at Whole Foods instead.
Griffin said, “I have a lot of mixed opinions about Amazon. I really don’t like using their services because of how poorly they treat their employees but I think it could reduce the load for the people in charge of [delivering Storeroom packages].
“I think it could make it more streamlined for the rest of the packages that aren’t Amazon stuff. But yeah, it's a mixed bag of feelings.”
For any additional questions or concerns, please contact Maureen Fowler at mfowler@framingham.edu