did you ever have a paper route?

[wayne foundation 07]

Happened past my old paper route the other day,don't make it that way to often.Made me think how things have changed,you can read the papers on-line now hardly a need for home delivery any more.Delivered papers from the 5th grade untill I was 16. I'm thinking it was close to 60 papers a day near the end.Who else had one?

[Hector]

Yes, I used to deliver the Oakland Tribune in the Lake Merritt area...it was lots of fun...both my cousin and I split the route...we sometimes raced with our bikes as to whom would deliver all the newspapers the fastest...we were both pretty accurate.

Ah...those were the days...sadly...it's a dead art today.

I also used to pick up aluminum cans...they were all over the place...the days before recycling...lol.

[Hector]

BTW...I still collect aluminum cans...but those are from my own stash of sodas and beers...I save them for a few months...then cash them in...I average about $40 each trip to the recycling center...nice extra dough...

[wayne foundation 07]

Yes, I used to deliver the Oakland Tribune in the Lake Merritt area...it was lots of fun...both my cousin and I split the route...we sometimes raced with our bikes as to whom would deliver all the newspapers the fastest...we were both pretty accurate.

Ah...those were the days...sadly...it's a dead art today.

I also used to pick up aluminum cans...they were all over the place...the days before recycling...lol.

How did you do on tips,some weeks I made more on tips.

[Hotfoot]

13-16! Delivered about the same. 4 blocks in either direction from my house. Think I made $3.50 a week to start and was at $5.00 a week by the time I stopped. All so that I could make $2.25 hour working in a delicatessen!

Tips at Christmas were the best. One old Lady tipped me $10.00 the first year. All because I placed the paper on her porch step. After that I put it between the front door and the storm door! (1974 was the year!)

[babycyclops]

I used to walk around and sell papers at my local shopping strip, when I was 11-12 years old. On Saturday afternoons I would be stationed at the drive-thu bottle shop (what most of you guys would call a liquor store) selling the late edition paper to folks making their evening beer runs. I still hate exhaust fumes! but I made pretty good money, and got a discount at the newsagent, where I spent up on model-making magazines.
I'd walk in and hand deliver to the local police station (now long closed) and shops in the local area.

[Batman]

Yea I delivered the Cleveland Press for about 2 years. I quit because I got tired of all of the deadbeats and old people not paying. A couple years after that the press went out of business.........

[kingdom warrior]

BTW...I still collect aluminum cans...but those are from my own stash of sodas and beers...I save them for a few months...then cash them in...I average about $40 each trip to the recycling center...nice extra dough...

Yeah Man!!! That's the American way anything for Beer money.....

[livnxxxl]

Nope. Can't say I have. I knew of a couple of guys who did though. They did pretty well with their routes.

[jimsmegos]

I tried selling GRIT when I was 10. I sucked horribly btw. I did however start writing for both the Arkansas Democrat and Arkansas Gazette when I was in 10th grade if that counts for anything

[megoat]

A friend of mine in grade school had a route. He was a bit of schemer and came up with a way to make extra money on his route. He would solicit nearby houses on his route to subscribe to the paper--i think these are called "starts". Anyway, when he got a new "start" he would not inform the newspaper about this new subscriber. Instead, after he had a handful of new subscribers he would go to the corner automatic newspaper dispenser, pay 25 cents but pull TEN copies or whatever he needed to supplement his route. So basically he had many "subscribers" on his route that the newspaper never knew about. So when he went to collect every month for their subscriptions fees, that money went straight in his pocket. Of course he eventually got busted when one of his subscribers called the newspaper with a complaint and of course they had no record of them being a subscriber......hahahaha

[Hector]

How did you do on tips,some weeks I made more on tips.

I don't even remember...but we had enough to spend practically all day at the 7-Eleven...nothing but Slurpees and hot dogs (which were recently introduced at the time in the early 70s) all day...we were like the original Jay & Silent Bob couple...but without the weed dealing...

[Hector]

Yeah Man!!! That's the American way anything for Beer money.....

You better believe it...I just took this picture in my backyard a couple of hours ago...beer money, baby...

[Wise4671]

Yep I did it for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and I hated collecting the money You knew the people were home but would not answer the door.

[toys2cool]

no way in hell, not in my neighborhood