I’ll best what’s really going on here is that these mailrooms and post offices get slammed at certain times of year, such as when textbooks are being ordered, but have way less mail most of the time. That undoubtedly creates staffing problems. The real fault is probably with the overpriced campus bookstore.
It could be argued that Amazon saved the US Post Office:
http://time.com/3590662/usps-amazon-holiday-delivery-sunday-christmas/
Amazon just installed 4 lockers at UCLA. Thank god for that, saves my D from a 20 minute roundtrip hike to the mailroom.
Anyway, I pay a very steep bill for housing. I think the university can manage to sort her mail in a timely fashion for that much money, amazon lockers or not.
Amazon had a kick ass quarter and the stock pricer is at a record high. Thank you students. 
This. My D attends a pricey Northeastern LAC and is very happy there; but I pay the bills and sometimes I wonder. She orders things from Amazon on our Prime account and the packages have gotten lost in the college’s mailroom for days. At a minimum, she can rarely pick up her packages on the day they are delivered and routinely has to wait an extra day. And this at a college with fewer than 1500 students.
To quantify the specific numbers that I mentioned in an earlier post, four students at $10 an hour, working 3 hours a day, five days a week, even 52 weeks a year, would total $31,200. Tell me that wouldn’t take care of any package sorting backlog, and tell me there isn’t $30,000 of fat in the administrative payroll without going anywhere near faculty salaries, laboratory equipment, libraries, groundskeeping, and dining services…
Just have to comment: As my kids are all out of college, I haven’t been on CC that much lately. Generally the articles are a repeat of the same concerns and questions I have seen for the past 10 years…but this is a new one!
I expect some day ya’ll will be discussing the self-driving car and if it’s safe enough for your college student. Or worth the price, or something. 
It is not just colleges. Landlords are having trouble finding room for all the packages.
Our S once accidentally ordered & received 100 boxes in ONE day at his condo. The kindly delivery guy brought them ALL up and stuffed them all into his condo! S has been MUCH more careful abaout quantities after that and gave the deliverman a nice tip that year and every year since.
The mailroom at S’ university seems to be handling it well and he is in a very large dorm. He recently ordered an Amazon Pantry package (you can stuff quite a bit in a large box for $5.99 flat shipping fee) and received it on time. They are notified by e-mail when a package arrives so he doesn’t have to keep checking his mailbox for a slip.
He is considering going off-campus next year and I did mention that he wouldn’t have the convenience of the mail room to get all his Amazon packages!
It’s true. I just looked in the recycle bin out back of the dorm and about a quarter of the cardboard in there was Amazon Prime.
Job creation!
Well, I shipped off some Halloween care packages of home baked treats yesterday to my college kids. Younger child is in first year many postal zones away so it was eye opening to discover what it costs to ship that far. I was SHOCKED that it cost $35 to send a 10 lb box. Yikes. I hope the home baked treats by mom are appreciated because at that price I can’t see sending another one. From here on out, I’ll probably use Amazon prime, local companies offering delivery, or gourmet food purveyors offering free or discounted shipping specials.
USPS is pricing themselves out of business for household customers. With gas prices low again, one would think they should make a tidy profit but I’m sure their bureaucracy and mismanagement will prevent that.
@doschicos have you looked at the USPS priority mail flat rate boxes? They have 2 day shipping at reasonable prices as long as it’s under 70 lbs. A medium size flat rate box costs about $12.60 to ship across the country. A large box is about $17.90. They even give you the box for free. Every time I send a box to my daughter, I make sure to pick up a new box for next time. Also beware of using a UPS store to send something via USPS. The UPS store adds a surcharge.
http://postcalc.usps.com/
@doschicos - Next time use the flat rate boxes. As long as it fits, the weight doesn’t matter.
https://www.usps.com/ship/priority-mail.htm
@Corinthian, Thanks for the suggestion. I have used at times for my older child who is closer, but usually for her its been cheaper to send w/o flat rate. She’s in a much closer zone. In this instance, it would have been too much to fit in the flat rate boxes (I baked up a storm this weekend and sent plenty to share with friends but maybe even 2 flat rate boxes?), but good to keep in mind for the farther child for the future. This was at a USPS branch but not my local neighborhood one where my usual, friendly mail guy is always good about making suggestions like yours.
Also, Insomnia Cookies FTW! A gift card fits nicely in a 49-cent envelope.
We use walmart.com and walgreens.com too. And Amazon without Prime shipping for used books on occasion.
It is easier to ship things than to bring them even if the student is only a few hours away.
If you are shipping a box between ZIP codes that are less than 300 miles apart (or even 600 miles) the USPS Priority Regional Rate boxes can be an even better value than standard USPS Priority size boxes. But, the Regional Rate boxes are special and need to be ordered (for free) from the USPS website. They are not available at retail post offices (although sometimes, if you ask, they may have some that were returned in the back).
Printing the barcode shipping label at home from USPS.com also is cheaper than paying for the label at the USPS retail window.
http://www.stamps.com/usps/priority-mail-regional-rate-box/
Search for Region Rate boxes in the “Free Shipping Supplies” section of USPS.com
Determine USPS zone between ZIP codes
http://postcalc.usps.gov/zonecharts/
Here’s a comparison chart from stamps.com to determine the least expensive shipping options.
http://www.stamps.com/whitepapers/priority-mail-rate-guide.pdf
Thanks @IlliniDad18 that was useful information. I had never heard of the regional rate boxes. Using your links, I figured out that I would be sending packages Zone 4, so for lighter weight boxes it would be cheaper to use them. On the other hand, if you have anything at all heavy, the priority flat rate boxes are the way to go and the boxes themselves are more easily accessible.
@Corinthian The top loading Regional Rate B boxes are nice for sending care packages. Around $6-$8 for delivery in two days, up to 20 lbs, with tracking.