Discussion
I saw a young lad on a bike today with a paper bag slung over his shoulder and realised it is now, for me anyway, not a common sight.
Not see one down our road that I can remember, not sure if anyone gets a paper any more. Previously it was a grumpy old
in a shagged out diesel Astra who used to deliver with Radio 2 blaring out and wasnt too receptive when told by a neighbour to STFU as its Sunday and its seven thirty.
Didnt think there would be a enough people still wanting a newspaper to make deliveries viable ?
Any of you lost do a paper round in the past ? I did, look back on it fondly though at the time I suspect getting up at 6.30 in the cold and rain didnt seem to appealing. Did morning, evening an Saturday football paper rounds. Did it from 13 to 17. Started on £2.25 at Mr Butts shop, went to another Newsagents for £3.50 so a big pay rise. Was always a good laugh lurking round waiting for our papers and even quite enjoyed the delivering bit.
Not see one down our road that I can remember, not sure if anyone gets a paper any more. Previously it was a grumpy old
in a shagged out diesel Astra who used to deliver with Radio 2 blaring out and wasnt too receptive when told by a neighbour to STFU as its Sunday and its seven thirty.Didnt think there would be a enough people still wanting a newspaper to make deliveries viable ?
Any of you lost do a paper round in the past ? I did, look back on it fondly though at the time I suspect getting up at 6.30 in the cold and rain didnt seem to appealing. Did morning, evening an Saturday football paper rounds. Did it from 13 to 17. Started on £2.25 at Mr Butts shop, went to another Newsagents for £3.50 so a big pay rise. Was always a good laugh lurking round waiting for our papers and even quite enjoyed the delivering bit.
Did it for a couple of years in the late 70s, 3 quid a week. I can still remember how excited I was on the first payday to have £3 of MY OWN MONEY ! I remember 87 Blackbrook Lane used to get The Telegraph. Worst day was Thursdays with the bloody Radio and TV times, at least doubled the size of the bag.
Whenever I think of paper rounds I’m reminded of receiving a newly introduced £2 coin in my wages, which I promptly lost playing football. I was devastated.
And on my first day having papers left over, and my mum telling me when i got home that it most definitely doesn’t sound right….she was of course correct and there was a number of complaints waiting for me the next day…
And on my first day having papers left over, and my mum telling me when i got home that it most definitely doesn’t sound right….she was of course correct and there was a number of complaints waiting for me the next day…
I started one at whatever the earliest age was I was allowed and had been looking forward to starting it for ages.
Must have been about 12/13. Ended up doing 2 rounds that merged with each other, and I am sure it was a tenner a round. Used to be quite into bikes back then and had a specific heap of junk cheapo bike that had plasticy flexi cranks when I was motoring on the pedals.
Looking back probably taught me a bit of work ethic, sundays were a slog with those 2 big bags digging into my neck.
Can't think the last time i've seen one, although the srilankan shop owner nearby seems to do one on a moped nowadays.
Must have been about 12/13. Ended up doing 2 rounds that merged with each other, and I am sure it was a tenner a round. Used to be quite into bikes back then and had a specific heap of junk cheapo bike that had plasticy flexi cranks when I was motoring on the pedals.
Looking back probably taught me a bit of work ethic, sundays were a slog with those 2 big bags digging into my neck.
Can't think the last time i've seen one, although the srilankan shop owner nearby seems to do one on a moped nowadays.
When I was a teenager, 1970's, I had three paper delivery jobs, weekdays, Sundays & a weekly free paper
My abiding recollection of the latter was unfair employment practices, owing to older boys (always boys) leaving for full time work, I ended up accumulating 'rounds' and delivering many hundreds of free papers every week. I was doing at least three boys work plus some holiday relief cover.
Anyway one day the new area manager came to my house wanting to speak to my parents advising there had been complaints about me and they were sacking me. Complete fabrication. I later learned that they had employed three new boys at much lower pay than I had been receiving.
I would like to say that the experience spurred me on to become a champion of employment and human rights in general. But it didn't.
Always good to get grievances of many decades ago off your chest though.
My abiding recollection of the latter was unfair employment practices, owing to older boys (always boys) leaving for full time work, I ended up accumulating 'rounds' and delivering many hundreds of free papers every week. I was doing at least three boys work plus some holiday relief cover.
Anyway one day the new area manager came to my house wanting to speak to my parents advising there had been complaints about me and they were sacking me. Complete fabrication. I later learned that they had employed three new boys at much lower pay than I had been receiving.
I would like to say that the experience spurred me on to become a champion of employment and human rights in general. But it didn't.
Always good to get grievances of many decades ago off your chest though.
There are now newspaper delivery services that cut out the middleman (the newsagents)
https://jackiesnews.co.uk/delivery-areas/
https://www.newsteamgroup.co.uk/
https://jackiesnews.co.uk/delivery-areas/
https://www.newsteamgroup.co.uk/
I did my mates sisters round when she went on holiday. I accidentally delivered a Financial Times instead of the Sun to a house.
The next day an angry fat bloke wearing a vest with egg stains was at the house to make sure he got the Sun, i did wonder if the FT had a page three would he have been so upset.
The next day an angry fat bloke wearing a vest with egg stains was at the house to make sure he got the Sun, i did wonder if the FT had a page three would he have been so upset.
sherman said:
Did a morning round for 1 year 15-16 . I got £40 pw roughly. I delivered to one of the posh bits of town.
One houses even got FHM delivered
I got over £300 in tips that christmas. I dropped everyone on my round a christms card at the start of december.
I did that in about 1985, bought some very cheap cards and made a point of writing one to every house, wait for a crap day and hand deliver looking bedraggled, £40, I had never known such riches !One houses even got FHM delivered
I got over £300 in tips that christmas. I dropped everyone on my round a christms card at the start of december.
I found a pair of mens trousers on a set of steps to the flats I used to deliver to. I gathered them up and put them in my bag.. after my round was done I would £40 in notes and a small amount of change.. omg, that's like a month's money in my hands, the trousers were binned, and the cash pocketed. No id in any of the pockets so no point handing them in at the cop shop.
Does anyone remember the arms race of which company could make the largest newspaper and then have the most amounts of supplements.??? One customer used to have the Sunday Times and the world's smallest letterbox and used to moan that his paper was destroyed as it had to be reassembled after i spent ages taking it apart to fit.
Does anyone remember the arms race of which company could make the largest newspaper and then have the most amounts of supplements.??? One customer used to have the Sunday Times and the world's smallest letterbox and used to moan that his paper was destroyed as it had to be reassembled after i spent ages taking it apart to fit.
I did one from 13 to 17. £8.50 a week from recollection about 30 years ago. It wasn’t exactly a worthwhile pursuit from a purely financial perspective but I do believe that 4 years working at that age, with 2 days a year off, set me up.
Was thinking the other day, the latter year or so coincided with my first girlfriend, and she never did know I had a paper round, I used to leave her house most nights at midnight knowing I’d have to be up at a silly hour the next morning.
Was thinking the other day, the latter year or so coincided with my first girlfriend, and she never did know I had a paper round, I used to leave her house most nights at midnight knowing I’d have to be up at a silly hour the next morning.
I never had a round but I do see the paper boy out, always on a Sunday
My in-laws still have their Sunday 'papers delivered weekly, despite my protestations that they can just read today's news online, rather than yesterday's news in a 'paper.
We recently moved and now get a local newspaper - haven't had one of those for years so am now reminded of what a waste of resources it actually is - it just goes straight in the recycling.
Slightly O/T but we were reminiscing about local newspapers the other day - looking for houses in the property section, car adverts that were small, text only - about 30 words. The job section......
Different game now.
My in-laws still have their Sunday 'papers delivered weekly, despite my protestations that they can just read today's news online, rather than yesterday's news in a 'paper.
We recently moved and now get a local newspaper - haven't had one of those for years so am now reminded of what a waste of resources it actually is - it just goes straight in the recycling.
Slightly O/T but we were reminiscing about local newspapers the other day - looking for houses in the property section, car adverts that were small, text only - about 30 words. The job section......
Different game now.
GetCarter said:
Did one for 3 years... 11 to 14. Paid for my model train set, air rifles and the magazine 'Parade'.
Life was simple.
Geoff the Newsagent we worked for had a superb top shelf selection and we were allowed to buy them on account or, in some cases taken them home and if they were returning in good condition , no charge Life was simple.
His missus was very nice, blonde bombshell and was always lovely with us paper boys, in fact they were really good to us.
One lad "borrowed one", put it in his bag and it being the school holidays had a day of onanism planned with his new material, he gets home ready to commence his personal time and realises his bag was empty, yep the silly f
ker had managed to post it into a customers letterbox. He realises his mistake and remembers one paper did feel thicker than he expected for a weekday, so he does the ride of shame and knocks on, the lady of the house answers clutching his magazine with a daft grin on her face. He told us this years later in the pub, it had been kept to just him and his customer for all this time.The Pink Final was fun, never made much money but it was the characters, Flo the old lady, her house had a certain smell that you learnt to stand back from as she opened the door, "Cowboy Joe", a Gypsy chap who left his pots outside of for the rain to wash, the woman who always answered in a silky dressing gown flustered like she had been disturbed mid intercourse
My brain still has the routes burnt in and what they had delivered, that one who had "The Peoples Friend" and an annoying yappy dog, papers were used as sort of depth charges to try and nail the snarling little s
t.Think we got about 6 quid a week in the early 90's. Was a long round too IIRC.
My Carrera got nicked one day outside the newsagent and that more than wrote off my lifetime earnings.
Edit. My brother and I were still in middle school because we'd moved houses by the time we were in secondary school. 10 and 8
at the oldest!.
The 90's don't even seem that long ago.
Edit edit. My brother was even shot in the head doing his. Made the front page of the paper he was delivering. Turned out to be mistaken identity apparently.
My Carrera got nicked one day outside the newsagent and that more than wrote off my lifetime earnings.
Edit. My brother and I were still in middle school because we'd moved houses by the time we were in secondary school. 10 and 8
at the oldest!.The 90's don't even seem that long ago.
Edited by ChocolateFrog on Monday 12th June 13:11
Edit edit. My brother was even shot in the head doing his. Made the front page of the paper he was delivering. Turned out to be mistaken identity apparently.
Edited by ChocolateFrog on Monday 12th June 13:12
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