Parcel Delivery Lockers for Student Housing

Not so long ago, nearly 60 percent of universities collected all student deliveries in a centralized mailroom. This approach created serious challenges for campus mail services.

With the continuing rise of e-commerce — including from campus bookstores themselves — these challenges only increase. There’s simply not enough space in the mailroom for all the student deliveries. Students prefer pick-up locations closer to their residences, anyway.

Parcel delivery lockers provide the solution. By installing parcel lockers in strategic locations, campus mail services can simplify their own operations while improving the student experience considerably. Here’s what university administrators should know about decentralizing parcel delivery for students.

Where to Locate Parcel Lockers for Students

For universities with on-campus housing, drop box strategies are clear: Install large, multi-compartment lockers in common areas of the dormitory buildings. These college dorm parcel lockers allow students to pick up deliveries where they live. 

Not every student lives on campus, however. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, only 22 percent of university students lived in on-campus dormitories. Another 55 percent of students lived in rented apartments or homes. 

Luckily, students tend to cluster in rental units near campus. Mail services staff might start by identifying nearby neighborhoods with large volumes of student residents. Then they can place university parcel lockers in these neighborhoods; either in heavily trafficked public areas, like nearby grocery stores or parks; or even by installing delivery boxes in apartment buildings that house mostly students. 

Campus mail services realize a number of benefits by installing university-owned apartment building parcel lockers, rather than relying on third-party drop boxes. You can incorporate these smart parcel lockers into a centralized digital package management system. You can notify students when their packages have arrived, and know when students have picked up their orders. You’ll also avoid any fees associated with third-party organizations. 

Both college dorm parcel lockers and apartment building parcel lockers allow students to collect packages 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to placing collection boxes in student housing centers, administrators can provide pick-up locations at the bookstore, the mail room, and other student gathering places.    

Parcel Delivery Lockers: 3 Features to Look For

Package delivery boxes are available in a number of models and designs. Which is best for campus mail services? 

We’d recommend a combination of two types:

• Parcel Locker Drop Boxes, which allows mail services staff or delivery workers to deposit packages quickly, and;
• Custom Parcel Lockers, which provide a greater degree of control over access to contents, and allow you to the number and size of compartments.

Regardless of which model you choose, look for the following features to ensure maximum benefits for students and mailroom staff alike:

1. Weather proofing. Even if you plan to install parcel delivery lockers indoors, you have a responsibility to protect contents from spills or vandalism. Look for drop boxes with fully enclosed steel compartments, sloped roofs, and drain holes.
2. Smart lock compatibility. Electronic door locks allow you to send single-use passcodes to authorized recipients. This provides strong security. Meanwhile, Parcel Lockers with multiple compartments include a master key that allows staff to access compartments before setting the single-use code for retrieval.
3. Large compartments. Students may order bulky items, like compressed mattresses or furniture kits. Look for at least a few Parcel Lockers built to handle large items. Industrial Lockers were originally designed to support off-hours delivery for construction materials, but they serve double duty as pick-up boxes for bulky student orders.

Choose a combination of sizes and designs for college dorm parcel lockers and apartment building parcel lockers, and mailroom collection areas. This variety will allow you to deliver packages of all descriptions, providing the flexibility today’s campus mail services need to keep students happy.  

Learn more by exploring the full range of BHS Lockers & Drop Boxes. Contact our sales team at 1.800.BHS.9500 to find the ideal parcel delivery lockers for your campus.