Newspaper Route

When I was an early teen I got a job as a paperboy, delivering the afternoon edition of the Riverside Press. Each afternoon I would show up at a shack near my neighborhood where the newspaper stacks were delivered. I would take my stack, fold each paper into thirds, wrap a rubber band around it, and stuff it into the newspaper bags on my bike. I would then head out to my route on my bike, throwing the paper onto the porch of each subscriber.

We had to learn our routes and subscribers, or deal with the extra time and effort to study the list as we delivered. We would usually have a couple of extra papers in case of shortage due to miscount, or to deliver to non-subscribers in the hopes of enticing them to subscribe. If we missed a subscriber or some other mishap occurred, we would get a call to go back and deliver a paper. We had to make sure our paper throws avoided sprinklers or bushes or windows. We sometimes dealt with dogs that would come out after us on our bikes. Goatheads were a menace, causing frequent flat tires. We had to watch for cars backing out of driveways and not seeing us on our bikes.

Collecting subscriber fees was a real chore. My route was in a poorer section of town, so this could be problematic. We were billed for our newspapers, so if we didn't collect from someone it came entirely out of our projected profits. We could petition the newspaper to reimburse us for persistent non-payment cases. And what a thrill it was when someone would give a tip and compliment us for our service. Ultimately, I found it very satisfying to collect the money and reap my profits. Almost like being in business for myself.

The ultimate hardship for me was on Sunday morning, when the afternoon based Riverside Press joined with the morning Riverside Enterprise for a large morning edition to be delivered. It was up before dawn folding, carrying, and throwing the large edition. I never was a morning person.

I only had the job for a few months. And, because of my particular route, I think my profits were low and hardship high. Still, I think back on the experience and marvel about it. It was a great way to teach a boy hard work, responsibility, and business sense.