Amazon Lockers roll out in the midstate

The Colonial Park Mall in Lower Paxton Township now offers Amazon Lockers, which provide consumers with somewhere other than their home or office to pick up and return Amazon packages.

According to Amazon’s website, the bright yellow lockers also can be found at the Capital City Mall in Cumberland County, as well as outside a number of Speedway and Sunoco gas stations around the region.

The lockers are making headlines as they are rolled out in metro areas across the nation. While their convenience makes sense for consumers, why would malls, in particular, embrace what is effectively their competition?

Two words: Foot traffic.

The mall, located on Jonestown Road, already offers 70 retail, dining and entertainment venues. Management believes the lockers will help bring more shoppers into the facility.

“Our ‘town center’ positioning allows us to embrace innovation to drive shopper traffic and enhance the overall experience for our guests,” said Mary Williams, Colonial Park Mall’s general manager, adding that the mall is “excited to collaborate with the world’s largest online retailer.”

How it works

Once a package is delivered to the Amazon Locker, customers receive an e-mail notification with a unique pickup code including the address and opening times for their selected locker. Packages are then collected using a pickup code or barcode.

All packages delivered to Amazon Locker locations must be picked up within three business days. Items that are not claimed will be returned to Amazon for a refund.

As the Columbus Dispatch has reported, Amazon first introduced the lockers in 2011, but has embarked on an aggressive expansion plan that will see them installed not just in malls and other retail settings, but also on college campuses.

According to the Dispatch, Columbus-based Washington Prime Group, whose holdings include Colonial Park, is installing the lockers at 50 malls across its portfolio.

Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns the Capital City Mall, announced the installation of Amazon Lockers at 15 of its East Coast malls beginning in September.