Amazon recently opened a store in the ASUC Student Union, and it’s become quite the studying hot spot. This begs the question, should we be studying there at all?

In order to better understand the whole system, we set out to investigate how to best utilize the room for what it was meant to be. The Amazon store at the ASUC Student Union is primarily a convenient Amazon locker location which any student can use to ship their packages directly to the store. All you have to do is visit asucstudentunion.amazon.com to set up the location as a place to receive your packages. When your package is ready, head into the Amazon store and you’re good to go.

But what’s up with the couches and TVs? Good question, inquiring student. Those TVs are connected to Amazon Fire TV and are for customers to use while they’re waiting to finish any Amazon related business they’ve got going on. What does that mean, you ask? It means that while waiting for packages, you can play video games, watch Amazon Prime, listen to music or take advantage of anything else they’ve got to offer. In fact, UC Berkeley boasts the first ever Amazon store with Fire couches. The tables and chairs are also for students needing a rest, waiting for packages or looking for a quick charging station.

Sure you can do some reading or charge your computer and phone, but those fancy couches and TVs aren’t really there for a prolonged study session. The addition of the couches and TVs were primarily to make the Amazon store more interactive, and instead, the UC Berkeley study-and-never-sleep mentality took over the store. Don’t fret though; Amazon is still trying to figure out how best to utilize the store for the students of UC Berkeley. So basically, why not use the space as a way to relax from the stress of campus and treat those couches as an oasis away from that all-consuming study life?