Who still has teenager paper carriers? (1 Viewer)

[Paul D G]

So, I was taking my dog for a late night walk and started thinking about the ^$%@#!@ paper route my parents forced me to have for six years when I was a teen (and if you want to kill your kid's social life give them a job they have to do six days a week at 3.30p - then make them get up at 4.30a on Sundays).

It occurs to me that since I moved out of my parents out 20 years ago I've never lived in an area where a local kid delivered papers. It's always been some guy in a beat up noisy car screeching down the street at 5am.

So, to reiterate my subject: Does anyone still have a local kid delivering papers?

Man, how I hated that thing.

-paul
BTW - I was shocked when a kid rang my doorbell and asked to mow my lawn. That's another thing that seems to be dying out. Our neighbors took advantage of this offer. You want to know how much the kid charged? $30!! I would have said $10 or get lost.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Our local paper is still delivered by a neighbor's son. But the major's (Washington Times/Post, Baltimore Sun) are delivered via fly-by station wagon.

 

[David Williams]

There are cities where they still have an evening paper?

I was the paper boy in my old neighborhood in my tween years, but that was when the Anchorage Daily News still had an evening edition. I would think morning papers would tend to kill off anyone under 18 delivering the paper unless they only did weekend delivery.

 

[Jay H]

I used to substitute for a friend of mine delivering a local newspaper on wednesdays and Sundays. I would get up early and go around on my bike (bmx style) and deliver the paper ala like the Paper Boy arcade game. Then sometimes I would have to collect by knocking on the door and physically getting payment. But these days in my neighborhood, I can hear the paper delivery car come by in the morning and sometimes I can see them driving around erratically when I bike to work.

Jay

 

[ThomasC]

Paper Boy! Man, that brings back memories...

A friend of mine did the morning route until she graduated. She was a great student and did her fair share of extra-curricular activities. I have no idea how she did it, because I tried it for two months and quit. Waking up at 4 or 5 was not fun, especially when you still have an entire day ahead of you after the route.

 

[johnADA]

Oh yes it does!!!
7 day a week morning paper, that 6 days was 225 papers that EXPLODED to 400+ on Sundays.
That poor bike that saw hell, basket on the front, twins on the rear and 2 shoulder bags on Sundays. Hey screw the bike, my poor body!!

All for a $35 with tips route.

We get local townie papers and ad fliers from the kids. My daughter delivers a local Ad paper and gets $48 a week for one hour,120 papers you just toss near the main door entry.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

I'd pay $30 if they have their own mower & gas.

Think about it, a good riding mower (and I am lazy enough to need one) will cost $1000-$2000. I'd have to mow my own lawn for years to make up what that kid is charging, and thats not even including gas. Let alone the value of my free time.

I wish kids around here wanted to make money shoveling snow.

 

[ThomasC]

He's just charging what the professionals are charging - or probably less. If you hire a gardener to mow the lawn, I hear the figure is around $40-50.

 

[MarkHastings]

There are people who read newspapers instead of the internet?

 

[Carl Miller]

I wished the same thing, but realized the kids where I live don't work at all. All the places where we used to work when we were teenagers, are fully staffed by adults now.

 

[Bryan X]

Our evening paper is still delivered by a kid.

 

[Steve Ridges]

I want my 2 dollars!

 

[Bryan X]

 

[Jason Kirkpatri]

Thankfully, I live on a street where nearly every single resident is retired....and looking for things to do with their time.

You can draw your own conclusions, but suffice to say, I never turn down an offer from a friendly neighbor!

 

[Jimi C]

I used to deliver the Buffalo news when I was in Jr High School. They just stopped making an evening edition about 2 months ago, but they still use kids to deliver the papers. It was a great gig for a 13 year old. I was making $80 a week in tips. I had a pretty long route though, I delivered too about 90 houses. Christmas time was the best though.. I felt like a millionare. I bought my first stereo gear with my paper money.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Former paper boy speaking here (back in the 1960s, that is).

Today's paper routes are far, far larger than what used to be doled out to deliverers way back then. I had somewhere from 80 to 100 people on my route and it covered a few blocks in the immediate neighborhood.

These days, entire regions are covered by a single route, meaning that mostly adults with cars can do them. So much for learning the rudimentaries of being in business for oneself. Now it's a paid job.

(See, we technically "purchased" our papers from the newspaper itself, and when we collected on Thursday and Friday evenings, what was left over from the purchase price of the newspapers for the week was our "profit." Unfortunately, many adults had a cavalier attitude about paying for their newspapers, which meant that we, the "paper boys," got shafted.)

 

[MarkHastings]

I wonder what the newspaper coverage is now as compared to 20+ years ago? I would assume that almost everyone recieved the newspaper back then, but now, do the same amount of homes get a newspaper? I would have to think that the coverage is wider because there might not be enough reason to have a bicycle delivery system when a 3 block radius might not have as many deliveries.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Here in Little Rock we pay the newspaper directly for home delivery. I've never met my newspaper delivery person in all the years we've lived here. Same for Jacksonville, FL for the year we were there.

Usually in late Nov, early Dec we get a Xmas card from the delivery person with the paper delivery, which usually includes an addressed envelope. In to that, we usually put a check for $25-30.

In Jackonville, the paper was delivered curbside. In LR its delivered to the door and often and can pick it up without leaving the house.

I agree that expecting a kid to do your lawn for $10 is way too low. Sure, they should be less than a pro, but $10, unless its a tiny yard is too little, IMHO.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I know a decade or so ago, the local paper from my hometown (Albany Times-Union) switched to a centralized pick-up point instead of local distribution points. That cut out anyone without a car pretty much de-facto.