Quote:
Originally Posted by Kefir King
My friend gives her TIMES deliverer $10, for whatever that is worth.
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Once a year? or a few times a year.
I was a paperboy as a kid in the 1970s. I used to get $5 bucks at xmas. Back then I collected the weekly bill in person.
Believe it or not the paper was 75 cents a week when I started. Very cheap. But most folks gave me a buck, then it went to 90 cents and sadly most folks still gave me a buck.
I also had a few real cheapskates on route. Actually had two or three folks who "claimed" they go away around xmas and put a stop on paper for two or three weeks. But I still delivered on block anyhow. So saw they were home. Then start again in Jan and pretend like there was no xmas gift. Had one or two deadbeat take paper for 2-3 weeks and not pay at ALL. Meanwhile I paid for paper out of my own pocket.
I had four paper routes over four years I did it, Long Island Press, Newsday, Post and NY Times.
The NY Times customer was by far the cheapest tippers. I mean they stiff you. And they were the richest. Plus they sucked, I quit the route after only a few weeks. I mean one SOB knew damm well a 13 year old was delivering papers and I had some think like a 6:30 am deadline to get papers done. It was snowing, freezing and dark and I got last paper out at 7am and he complained I was late. Meanwhile I was pushing a bike in the snow.
The LI Press and Newsday best tippers. It was an afternoon paper back then. Meaning It came out around 2pm. No morning edition. When I delivered papers after school folks were waiting, they had all the West Coast scores and even news that morning. Folks forget but if you go back as recent as October 19,1987 when the stock market crashed and look at the cover of the NY Post that day it had full coverage. Same day.
I had firemen, cops, teachers you name it on route, the guys would be on the front porch in Summer, cold beer in hand waiting for me to pull up on the bike.
I kept that route way past I should of. I only had 23 papers in last route when I was a bit too old to do it. But when I did NY Times I did over 60 papers before six am to get same pay with tips as I would doing 23 papers at 3pm.
My brother once did a 500 person NY Times route. They actually paid him a set salary as no one in their right mind would do it for tips.
The Post was great too, afternoon paper had all the race track info. Same day, get a lot of tips. And die hard Met fans loved it.
Ten dollar a year tip is crazy in 2015. My five dollar tip in 1976 was a good deal.
The death of the afternoon edition, schoolboys delivering and blue collar men and stay at home Moms killed the tips. Much easier to still a nameless person who throws a paper at your house you paid by credit card. Then a 13 year old boy rain or shine leaves paper in your screen door or mail box. Heck one die hard Mets fan I even rang his bell everytime Mets had a late west coast game so he could read it asap.
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They never asked for it to be put anywhere else though.
