UPenn to Get New Amazon Pickup Location

By Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Philadelphia–Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon is planning to open a new staffed package pickup point on the University of Pennsylvania campus this spring.

College Hall, University of Pennsylvania

Amazon@Penn will mark the first facility of its kind to operate at an Ivy League university. Strategically located in 1920 Commons, the university’s largest dining facility, the 3,558-square-foot space will offer online shoppers a convenient location to pick up and return their Amazon orders. The center will include a mobile-enabled, self-service package pick up.

Amazon@Penn will also be the first Amazon pickup location to feature communal work spaces with interactive media pods where students can connect their laptops and mobile devices to TV monitors for presentations, brainstorming, studying, and collaborating. Additionally, Amazon Student and Prime members will receive free same-day pickup for orders placed by noon and free one-day pickup for orders placed by 10 p.m.

“The preference by today’s students for online shopping has led to a significant increase in deliveries. When we looked closely at the shipping activity, we discovered that almost half of all packages delivered to Penn student mail rooms were from Amazon,” said Marie Witt, vice president of Business Services at Penn. “With this innovative shipping solution we can now offer enhanced convenience and security for a service that our students were already using, while also providing additional community space within easy access of most student residences.”

“We’re thrilled to bring a new experience to Penn that makes it more convenient for students to get everything they need for university life,” added Ripley MacDonald, Director of Amazon Student Programs. “We look forward to bringing this experience to even more college communities soon.”

Since 2015, Amazon has opened staffed pickup locations including: Amazon@Purdue, Amazon@UMass, Amazon@IslaVista, and the recently opened Amazon@Cincinnati. In addition to Penn, Amazon also has confirmed agreements to open two more locations in 2016 with the University of California, Davis and the University of California, Berkeley.

Image courtesy of University of Pennsylvania photo/Scott Spitzer