Rana Roosevelt, Contributing Illustrator

Many Yale students are too familiar with the walk to and from the Barnes and Noble Student Package Center and the long lines that often await them there.

PickPackGo, a startup cofounded by Aranza Rodriguez ’24 and Juliette Garcia ’26, aims to help students pick up packages more conveniently. The PickPackGo app allows students to order their packages to local businesses that are partnered with the company, where they can collect them at their own convenience. Current partners include Katalina’s Bakery, Nice Day Chinese, Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe, and La Cocinita Mexican Cafe.

“I’m really happy that it’s helping both businesses and students,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez first came up with the idea for PickPackGo as a Yale undergraduate. Living above Tomatillo Taco Joint on Broadway, she had trouble getting packages delivered to her apartment and asked the restaurant staff if she could use their address instead.

Realizing that many off-campus students faced similar issues — and that the package center was inconvenient for on-campus students — she pitched the idea to Garcia in spring 2024. 

“I remember being very stressed about how to receive packages in a way that was safe and cheap,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully, this is an affordable solution to this problem.”

PickPackGo launched on a small scale to graduate students last winter and expanded this fall. Students purchase tokens through the app — 99 cents each or in bundles — and show them to staff when picking up packages. While non-students can also use the service, the startup is primarily geared towards students. Students cannot receive letters through PickPackGo.

As of August 30, the app had nearly 300 registered users. The founders said more than 40 tokens have been purchased, and 24 packages have already been picked up so far. Every package delivered to a partner business has been retrieved, Garcia said.

The most popular pick-up location has been Katalina’s Bakery, on Whitney Avenue, which Garcia noted is conveniently located for students in Silliman, Timothy Dwight, Ben Franklin and Pauli Murray.

Niki Awad, a barista at Katalina’s Bakery, has handled much of the pick-up and drop-off of packages.

“The process has been pretty seamless,” she said. “Students will have stuff shipped here, and it will show up via carrier.”

Awad explained that packages are left by delivery drivers at a designated table in the bakery. Students show their Yale ID to receive their items, which she said makes the process secure. In its first week, the bakery handled about 20 packages, all of which were collected.

Looking ahead, Garcia and Rodriguez hope to expand PickPackGo beyond New Haven. Rodriguez, now based in Boston, said the team is exploring whether colleges there might benefit from the service.

“We need to look into, like, ‘Okay, who needs this? Are you guys off campus? Do you have access to package centers?’” Garcia said. “In big cities, there tend to be apartments and there tend to be missing packages.”

Balancing a full-time job in Boston while running PickPackGo in New Haven has been challenging, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez and Garcia share many responsibilities in PickPackGo. Rodriguez has focused on market research, while Garcia has taken on more of the in-person work in New Haven, such as attending events, posting flyers and contacting businesses. 

For now, the two plan to continue running PickPackGo themselves, with their eyes set on growing the business. If Garcia leaves New Haven, they might reassess, Garcia said.

Katalina’s Bakery is located at 74 Whitney Ave.