
Hands-on with Amazon Locker, now working - aaronbrethorst
http://www.geekwire.com/2011/exclusive-handson-amazon-locker-running
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evanjacobs
Yes, it appears that Amazon is bootstrapping this by using UPS to deliver
packages to the store but there's a bigger vision at work here.

This is another attempt by Amazon to solve the "last mile" problem. Amazon
already saves a ton of money on shipping costs by packing their own trucks and
driving them from distribution centers (e.g. Fernley, NV) to major
metropolitan areas (e.g. Seattle, WA) and depositing them at USPS for final
delivery. Amazon could even remove this cost for those people who choose to
pick up their packages at (essentially) Amazon PO boxes.

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gergles
This seems wildly impractical, as the guy pulled the label out that still had
a UPS label on it, which indicates that they sent it UPS to this facility
which then put it in a locker.

If they're going to send it UPS anyway, why not just send it to your house? I
can't imagine there are that many people who would rather have to make another
trip to go pick packages up vs. having them left at your door (in most
circumstances; there are some instances where it's more convenient to have
something put somewhere you can access it 24/7 rather than dropped off, but I
imagine those are limited.)

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jakarta
I think it can make sense in specific cases.

For example:

I live in Boston and a bunch of people don't have cars. If you don't have a
delivery service in your building to take and store your packages, they can be
left right outside the door which is kind of dicey, especially if you have
valuable stuff.

Some people at my office just have all their packages delivered at work, which
makes sense. But if you are going to have a ton of stuff delivered, or heavy
stuff, it can be a hassle to then lug that back to the subway whereas it might
be easier to have it delivered to the 7/11 that is just a block away from your
place.

So like I said, it has specific uses. My guess is that the incremental capital
spent isn't much to have the locker system, so why not test it out. Low risk -
high uncertainty bet on Amazon's part.

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brianbreslin
Optimal use case is po box replacement. Not everyone needs a po box all the
time. Think of this as an ec2 po box.

I bet focus groups said they hate not being around when ups guy shows up.

