Any old newspaper carriers out there?

schwarcw

These days my paper is delivered to me by someone in a car early in the morning. I can’t remember the last time I saw a newspaper boy (or girl) carrying a canvas sack loaded with newspapers.

I delivered newspapers from the age of 10 through age 13. First, I started as a helper for an older kid with a route. A year later, I had my own route! I grew up in the inner city. Our town (Pittsburgh) had two papers at that time, an afternoon and an evening paper. I usually arrived home from school (I walked) about 3:30, changed my clothes and headed straight for a street corner where my papers were dropped off. I had a red Radio Flyer wooden wagon with removable side stakes. I usually used it on Sundays and Wednesdays when the papers were large. The remainder of the time I had a canvas bag with a fluorescent orange shoulder strap. I carried between 65 and 80 papers as the number of my customers rose and declined. It usually took me about an hour or so to deliver my route. Afterwards, I would go to the soda fountain at the local drugstore for a coke. It was served in that classic Coca-Cola shaped glasses, about five or six ounces for 5 cents. For an extra two cents you could get a squirt of cherry, lemon, vanilla or chocolate syrup.

On many of those rounds through my paper route from 1963 to 1966, I delivered some significant news: The JFK assassination, the Martin Luther King walk on Washington, a war in Viet Nam, John Glenn’s space mission and much more.

I also carried a seven transistor Motorola radio. With my earplug in place, I strutted through the streets listening to: Beatles, Rolling Stones, Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, Dave Clark Five, Herman’s Hermits and much more. I still hear many of those songs in my head today, along with the smell of the local bakery and fruit market. The buzz of traffic, the rumble of a long gone streetcar and the thrill of having an extra paper to sell on the corner are still very lucid memories for me today.

I wouldn’t recognize my news carrier if he walked by me at the Mall. Where have all the newsboys gone?

Thanks for letting me share these memories with you!

dorokusai

I think paper routes are good for children, and it certainly builds character. It creates a sense of worth and positive attitude, and you are contributing to society in a positive manner.

If I ever see that SOB that delivers the useless local Gazette...that I never EVER! asked for and NEVER read....always throw in the recycle bin, and curse his existence....I will personally kill him with my bare hands.

michael_w

I used to do it but it wasn't exactly as glamorous as your experiance. Mine took me about an hour to an hour and a half and the average pay for that day was about three bucks (canadian to make things worse). That was about five years ago. I got out of it because with such little pay it was rediclous so I moved to making about ten bucks an hour mowing lawns for neighbours.

It did give me a bit of direction and work ethic but I can't really say it was fun...

mantis

I had 2 routes growing up, went to school, had a part time job in a bike store . As a kid I had alot of money and wa able to buy just about anything I wanted. My parents et me manage my money to a point(they made me save some in a bank account savings). I think it really helped me learn the value of a dollar. Something I feel most kids today have no idea what that means. I see young guys at work in there 20's nt really knowing what the value of a dollar is. Another thing I noticed is that kids today don't wanna work. They rather have there parents pay for everything. I see no value in that as a parent myself.
My kids have chores and earn a few bucks doing them. They save there money for things they want. I try my best not to spoil them to much but it happens from time to time.

I learned the value of the dollar at a very young age. I feel it has helped me with my life as my credit score is always very high.

Dan

Mike Reeter

Schwarcw...You and I have a lot in common,we are very close to the same age.I started on a paper route when I was 10 years old in 1963.

I worked at it until I started playing Football in 8th grade,I would have been about 14 at the time.

I always packed my papers in a bag,would throw about 100-120 papers a day,just once a day in the evening,small town,small newspaper.

I used to collect for the paper on Saturdays. .35 a week or $1.25 monthly...the rich customers paid by the year...that was around $10.00-12.00

whitetruk

i`m not old,but i used to deliver.i had about 200 daily customers,and a few more on wed. and sun.i used a 1981 honda hobbit moped to run them all around.i deliverd from about 82 till 88,it was great job.it was the morning paper.i still have a garage full of toys from that era.(honda three wheeler,a galaxian video game space invaders video game and a reliable 76 harley).
would not change those years for nuttin.
scott

bobman1235

I'm a lot younger than you g uys , but still remember having a route in, say, fourth and fifth grade (1990ish?). I was living in NH delivering the Boston Globe, which means I had to do it at like 5 in the morning. It was actually kind of fun in the warm months - I alwyas liked being up before everyone, made me feel like I had the roads to myself. The route was all my local neighborhood, so I would take half, throw them in a bag, and ride my bike to the houses, then come back for the other half.

My two biggest memories were the one time, I was out doing the route, and a moose stepped out in front of me. It was the biggest thing I had ever seen. I just sat there on my bike staring at the thing in the middle of the road. And the other was how much Christmas ruled, because half of my route would bake me cookies or something and leave them in the mailbox.

Five years later I was living in Mass and a friend of mine had a route in teh afternoon with the local paper. Always made me nostalgic when I walked the route with him

But you're absolutely right, you never see kids doing it anymore. I'ts always a guy in a pickup or station wagon, delviering 300 papers a day. Damn shame.

schwarcw

Mike Reeter wrote:

Schwarcw...You and I have a lot in common,we are very close to the same age.I

Sorry to hear that Mike;) I used to collect on Saturdays. Which was the worst part of the job because it took so long. My paper bill was due every Tuesday so I had to collect every week. I believe the daily paper cost about seven cents, and the Sunday twenty five cents. Tips were always cool. The more affluent folks were poor tippers, average family were modest tippers. Some people couldn't afford it, what can you do. I always tried to remember to place the paper under the mat or inside the front door, whatever the customer preferred. Today, they make you put a mailbox out on the curb so they can deliver it by car. In the neighborhood where I first owned a home, the paperboy who was a neighbor had his father drive him around in a PA State Police cruiser. My taxpayer money at work!:eek:

SCompRacer

Wow, what a memory to revive Carl.

I had a paper route around that time. 6 blocks long, both sides of the street in a residential neighborhood. It was handed down through two older brothers. Sunday was the worst day, the papers were thick as baseball bats.

I had to collect the money and go downtown every Saturday to pay the bill at the Herald News. My buddy was taking sax lessons and we would go together. We used to walk that couple of miles. Sometimes our friends came along. You had to cross one of the four draw bridges to get across the I & M Canal in Joliet. We used to sneak onto the bridge when the bridge tender wasn't looking and hide in the girders, waiting for a ride due to the frequent barge traffic.

DarqueKnight

I considered a paper route. I mowed yards starting at age 11 up until I graduated from high school. More money and way more flexible schedule.

schwarcw

DarqueKnight wrote:

I considered a paper route. I mowed yards starting at age 11 up until I graduated from high school. More money and way more flexible schedule.

Mowing lawns was a great way to make a few bucks. Some of my newspaper customers asked me to mow lawns, trim shrubs, shovel snow and go grocery shopping. All for some baseball cards, model cars, snacks and saving for a new bike. My younger brother borrowed my bike and it was stolen from the hobby shop. I think I was 14, then came a young man's greatest downfall GIRLS!!!!

I should have stuck with baseball cards and model cars!:D

Early B.

Yep. I had one at age 11 for about 6 months. A bicycle and a canvass bag in NJ. Had to collect $1.20 every week from each of the 50-60 customers. After I realized I was being exploited (i.e., not being paid my fair share), I quit. Not cool when an adult cheats a child out of money. he musta thought I was stupid. Anyway, saved a wad of cash, though. Gave it to my dad and he invested it in money market certificates. I quickly learned the value of compound interest. It was a great experience.

It hurts to see adults standing on the corner selling newspapers when children used to do it. Times must be tough for some people.

Mike Reeter

schwarcw wrote:

Mowing lawns was a great way to make a few bucks. Some of my newspaper customers asked me to mow lawns, trim shrubs, shovel snow and go grocery shopping. All for some baseball cards, model cars, snacks and saving for a new bike. My younger brother borrowed my bike and it was stolen from the hobby shop. I think I was 14, then came a young man's greatest downfall GIRLS!!!!

I should have stuck with baseball cards and model cars!:D

I also bought my first bike with my hard earned cash...A Buzz Bike,you know,the high handle bars and banana seat,small 20" tires...it was too cool:D

adam2434

I had routes in the mid 80's, until I was around 15. Fed my hobby at the time nicely - fishing gear.

Collecting was a pain - spending a major part of every other weekend going door to door, having a percentage of the people tell you to come back because they didn't have the $4.50! And this was in a nice middle class neighborhood. As an adult, I look back at that and think how pathetic and rude that was.

Christmas time was nice though - probably around $200 in tip gifts.

A little sad that my kids will not have the opportunity to learn this early lesson on responsibility, work ethic, and the value of a dollar. However, this day and age, I wouldn't let my kids go to door to door unsupervised, even in a nice neighborhood - sad.

Tour2ma

Mid-60's here... throwing the now defunct Cleveland Press. Clear choice becuase it was the afternoon paper. Even in my youth I had a strong aversion to the "AM".

Still have fond, albeit ever dimmer, memories of one MILF on the route. Very hot Italiano...

My thanks for stirring that one up...

whitetruk

Tour2ma wrote:

Mid-60's here... throwing the now defunct Cleveland Press. Clear choice becuase it was the afternoon paper. Even in my youth I had a strong aversion to the "AM".




pretty sure the (press) went out in the early 80`s.thats the year i started the plain dealer.
we also had the news herold a lake county paper,which was afternoon,mostly it used to switch every now and then(currently mornning).
this is a great topic many good times!!!! same era i bought infinity kappa speaker`s(still havem).
many happy memories to all.
scott

schwarcw

I've been thinking about this thread that I started some 13 years ago now. Since then, many newspapers have disappeared or are available online only. We have a weekly, local newspaper which is delivered by the US mail. Kids that are 12 - 15 years old don't have the same opportunity to learn a little money. Most of all, a paper route was a good way to learn to be responsible and accountable

pitdogg2

schwarcw wrote: »

I've been thinking about this thread that I started some 13 years ago now. Since then, many newspapers have disappeared or are available online only. We have a weekly, local newspaper which is delivered by the US mail. Kids that are 12 - 15 years old don't have the same opportunity to learn a little money. Most of all, a paper route was a good way to learn to be responsible and accountable

schwarcw wrote: »

I've been thinking about this thread that I started some 13 years ago now. Since then, many newspapers have disappeared or are available online only. We have a weekly, local newspaper which is delivered by the US mail. Kids that are 12 - 15 years old don't have the same opportunity to learn a little money. Most of all, a paper route was a good way to learn to be responsible and accountable

In not too many years they may no longer have fast food restaurants. Many companies are looking hard at robotics and kiosks instead of real people. Crazy sad that many young kids feel that is so beneath them to work places like fasr food.

motorhead43026

I remember well my paper route. I had bought myself a Rupp minibike with my lawn mowing money which I used to deliver. One morning I set my paperbag on fire when it had come in contact with the muffler. Destroyed a bunch of papers. Had some p'od customers that morning.

From then on paper bag over right shoulder.

motorstereo

I never had a route as I was too far out in the sticks growing up so it was grass cutting for me to. I wonder if anyone remembers back when the Lewinsky-Bill Clinton story came out? I was thinking as I'm reading the lurid details in the paper that morning that the president just caused every 14 year old kid in the country with a paper route to deliver pornography.

Perhaps some people here delivered that very paper and have been traumatized ever since

Easy Runnin

No one dropped papers off at my corner. I rode my bike to the branch and helped unload the truck. FIFO method for getting your papers. Wednesdays sucked because they were 30s. Thanksgiving was awful, papers were so thick my mom would drive me to the branch that day.

Tony M

I delivered the Washington Post for a year or more before school.

On a bike with the high handle bars and banana seat. I think I had 60 customers.

Yea, front door deliveries for most.

I also got cookies and tops around Christmas. I collected every so often. Most paid a lot in advance.

I also enjoyed being up before the world got up but later in life, I hated it. I now can sleep till 2PM and think nothing of it. Just resting as I feel like it.

We used to get the paper here but too many missed issues ( I think 3 in about 2 months or less) pissed my wife off big time! She CANCELED! They didn't even care since most people had already stopped reading papers.

I liked the comics a lot!

drselect

Delivered the St Paul Pioneer Press for over five years twice every weekday and once each day on the weekends. Put a bag on the front of my bike handle bars.
Lots of help from my dad on Sundays and Holidays and those really really cold winter mornings (which meant double digit negative not factoring in the windchill, eyelid freezing shot type of cold winter mornings).
Learned many life lessons.
Unfortunately world has changed to much and would never ever let my kids do it today.
I am in the camp now that all print media (newspapers, magazines, junk mail...) needs to come to an end.

verb

Yep I was a Paperboy back in the day. Balancing the large cloth bag on the handlebars of my Huffy. I remember having to collect money, sometimes coming back cause they were short that week, getting tips from some folks. Ah memories!

Tony M

I have to mention, AFTER delivering the papers, I donned my safety patrol vest belt and monitored an intersection to make sure the other kids made it across there safely.

I had quite the morning duties to fulfill but loved every moment. About an 1 1/2 or more before school.

verb

Safety Patrol! I was one too! Thanks for brining that back! Huge smile here!

Tony M

You had to be recognized as very responsible to wear the Safety Patrol badge.

verb

Still smiling! I remember having to raise my right hand and pledge the oath!

ken brydson

The title of the thread says it all. Any of us that had paper routes are OLD!

Tony M

Maybe REAL OLD.

I wonder how many kids there are that NEVER picked up a news paper and read through it?

mrloren

Yeah real OLD.

Delivered way to many, Saturdays sucked. get done with the morning paper and then go cut grass.. Gee no Saturday cartoons for me. In the years delivering I was hit by a drunk in a VW. Found that a mini baseball bat does nothing to a pitbull who wants to eat my paper bag. Most of all, when a customer wants the paper on their back porch don't ask or look.